What If? A Different Kind of Rivalry
by KrystalClear101
Summary: May thinks about her relationship with her childhood friend Gary when newcomer Ash comes into the picture. How will he effect her decision? Major shippings: Brunetteshipping Advancehipping Minor shippings: Waterflowershipping Ikarishipping. Chapter 23 up!
1. Chapter 1

Description: Every story has its 'What If's

**Kris: Hi! Hi! Everyone! This is like a mid story for you to enjoy while I'm putting PA2G and MJFL on hold for the neck-breaking sequel to **_**A Different Kind of Rivalry**_**. **

**Mikey: This is also the time for you to have some enjoyment since they removed **_**Chat Room**_** for various reasons.**

**AJ: So sit back, relax and enjoy the **_**What If's**_**.**

**May: I have returned! KrystalClear101 is not the owner pokémon.**

**Ash: But if she was…I would probably be written out of the show… :(**

**Kris: Why I never-**

**Mikey: Shower?**

**AJ: Bathe?**

**Kris: Shut up!**

**All: Enjoy the Chapter! Happy Halloween!**

**May: Start the Party!**

What If?

Chapter 1

"Such a jerk!" the enraged brunette shouted down the hallways of Pallet High School. With anger in each step, she spun her lock and opened up her locker and threw her books inside.

Once that was done she proceeded to slam her locker shut and lean against it with an even madder scowl on her face. Who is this girl? It's none other than May Maple, just your average student suffering from average problems as some might call it. But if the situation is further analyzed, one might think other wise.

May had lived in Pallet for most of her life and her peers had been with her since Preschool. Including one obnoxious boy who ran her up the wall everyday of her life. His name? Gary Oak. A dark haired boy with a cool exterior, who was probably born with a smirk. Everyday he and May had a falling out that always ended in her locker being severely abused.

She glared at the tiled floor and blew up her bangs in frustration. There was no getting around it. It was the same deal everyday but she could never understand why. She had fought with him and herself over the matter a number of times but couldn't come up with a feasible explanation. Finally she pushed herself from her locked and walked down the crowded hallway preparing to go home and sulk about the days unfortunate events.

Once she was outside, she was surrounded by hundreds of kids talking and laughing. She searched the crowd in hopes of successfully spotting her friends. She sighed once more when she came up short. Feeling even more down she decided to make that long grueling trip home. The worst part about going home was seeing Gary, who just so happened to live next door to her.

She shook her head when she spotted him in his daily flirt mode. He was standing extra close to a girl with long navy blue hair. She was about the same height as May, in the same identical uniform that consisted of a white collared top with a blue pleated skirt, long white socks and hideous brown shoes as May called them.

She rolled her eyes when she heard the girl giggled loudly. Much to her dismay Gary spotted her as she was walking by trying to be as unnoticeable as possible. When she thought she was home free, she smiled and continued on her way home. That is, until something pointy jabbed her in the side and she shrieked loudly.

"Gary!" she shouted at the boy who merely smirked in her direction and began walking next to her.

"Oh come on, you know you liked it." He grabbed her hand and held it in his own. She flinched and snatched her hand back.

"Get a life you creep!" she spat at him and increased her speed in order to lose him some how. He softly laughed and caught up to her with ease.

"You know, there's a rumor going around that you and I are dating." He started. She rolled her eyes and glared at him.

"That rumor has been going around since sixth grade. We're sophomore's now and not once have we ever gone out, let alone have a decent conversation with each other." He shook his head at her as she fumed.

"Such a shame. We'd be so cute together. Just imagine it. You and me." He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and looked up the sky with a hopeful expression. She shuddered at his touch and began to blush.

"Stop being a flirt. You know you would never date me…without cheating anyway…" she removed his arm from around her and stopped walking. He looked at her strangely and stopped in front of her.

"Maybe if you'd stop playing so hard to get, we'd have a chance. I'm not the bad guy here…you are." She glowered at him until he placed a hand on her shoulder and kissed her on the cheek. "Think about it. I know I have." Her mouth was wide open as he walked off. She clenched her fists together and shot draggers into the back of his head.

"See! That's exactly why you are such a jerk!" she yelled at him with every bone in her body.

.-.

May lay on her bed and wrote in her lab journal trying to think of a decent conclusion for the experiment she had completed in class just over a week ago. There were many eraser shavings around the bed as she chewed on said eraser contemplating on what to write next on the practically blank sheet of paper. In defeat, she closed her notebook and tossed it across the room and looked out of her window on the first floor of her house.

Despite her liking, she had a direct view of Gary's house and specifically, his room. Coincidentally, he was also staring out of his window and happened to catch her gaze. She rolled her eyes as he flashed a smile at her. She turned around and look at the opposite wall facing away from the window. She looked at the fuchsia designs on the wall until she heard footsteps behind her.

"You should really think about shutting your window." His voice floated to her ears as she sat up and stared at his mischievous green eyes. Once again she turned around and faced the wall again to bang her head against it.

"Come now May, don't beat yourself up over me." She heard the creaking of her bed as he took a seat next to her. He fell back on his back and rested his head in his hands. He looked up at her ceiling before inhaling. She stared at him in disgust as he relaxed himself.

"Why do you always come over here?" she asked him as she turned around and leaned against the wall next to her bed. She had her legs stretched out and her hands by her sides.

"I like it here." He said with his eyes closed. "I know you like it when I'm here." He opened his eyes and looked at her with his trademark smirk.

"Oh please." She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.

"There you go, playing hard to get again." He shook his head and sat up to look her straight in the eye. In the next moment, Gary did something she would've never expected him to do. "Be honest with me May. Have you ever thought about us being together?" at this point his gaze had averted downward and he was twisting the loose threads on her blanket in his fingers.

"I can't say that I have…" she uncrossed her arms and stared at him in disbelief. "What are you getting at?" she looked at him crossly. He looked up at her with desperation and she found the distance between them getting smaller and smaller. He reached up and caressed her cheek with his hand.

"Well…I have…" he whispered in her ear with a soft tone. May felt her body heat go up as well as her heart rate. Her glare softened slightly but not entirely. He was not going to treat like every other girl in school. Swoon them once then dropped them to the curb.

"Not today Gary, now go home!" she pinched his cheek and smiled widely. He sighed in defeat and slid off the bed. He was soon at the window where he looked back at her and smiled a devilish grin.

"…Tomorrow then." With that, he step out of her room and walked back to his own house. May grabbed one of her throw pillows and hugged it tightly as she buried her head inside.

'_I'm so confused. Why is he always like this? He never used to be so flirtatious with me when we were little. Must be puberty that hit him like a rock. It's not like I miss him slipping lizards down my shirt but I prefer that than having my emotions toyed with everyday.'_ She sighed and looked out the window at him on his computer. _'But does he really like me like her says? Hn. It's probably just another way to annoy me as usual.'_ She rolled her eyes and laid flat on her stomach. She reluctantly sat up when she heard a knock on her door.

"Come in!" she yelled. Her mother entered her room with and apron around her waist and flour covering her hands. She sucked her teeth at May and planted her hands on her hips.

"May, get up and put some decent clothes on. We're having company tonight, remember?" May shot her eyes open and looked at her mom in shock.

"Company? Who?" May asked. Caroline rolled her eyes.

"My old friend from college is coming to visit. She's going to be staying for dinner." She explained. May nodded slightly and gave her mom a smile edging her on to leave the room. She got up from her bed and went to her closet to find something to wear for tonight. "Oh, and May?" he mom reentered the room. "She has a child around your age. You might make a new friend." She gave one last small before leaving May to search for some clothes.

Finally she resorted with a cyan colored top, and white skirt, and white flip flops with a cyan cap to wear over her hair to complete her look. She brushed her hair and splashed a bit of perfume on before added a few bangles and earrings. Satisfied with her look she walked out of her room to be welcomed by her father who sitting in 'his' chair reading the evening news and her mother busy in the kitchen.

"Well don't you look cute?" Caroline said with a smile as May just shook her head and smiled. Once Caroline had placed that last remaining items on the table, she tossed her apron into the drawer and did one final check in the mirror before the doorbell surprisingly rang. "That's them!" Caroline exclaimed. May stood next to her father with a lost expression on her face.

"Hey, where's Max?" she asked him.

"I think he went over a friend's house." He said. May nodded as her mom opened the door and revealed a woman in her late 30's with mid-length maroon hair. She had light brown eyes and peach like skin. She wore a pink blouse with a black skirt and black sandals.

"Delia!" Caroline shouted.

"Caroline!" The woman shouted back as they shared a friendly embrace. "It's wonderful to see you. Is this your family?" she asked as she stared and May and Norman.

"Sure is. This is my husband Norman and our first born, May." They both gave a smile as Delia nodded. May could've sworn she saw someone behind her.

"Oh, this is my son. I'm sure he would love to meet tour May." With a little bit of force she pushed the boy in front of May much to his chagrin. May eyed with caution, taking in every detail. Tall, tanned, physically built. He had ravenous black hair with dark brown eyes. He a mahogany colored t-shirt, beige cargo pants and all white pants. All in all.

'_He is cute!'_ May squealed inside her head as she gave him a shy smirk. He returned the favor with a little more confidence.

"Hi, I'm May." She extended her hand out to him.

"I'm Ash, nice to meet you." He shook her hand as she smiled wider.

**Kris: Is this considered a cliffhanger?**

**May: I'm not sure.**

**Kris: Oh well, I know this is a major change but hey, it's what if!**

**Ash: How come I don't get to talk until the last line?**

**Mikey: This is a sign of what's gonna happen if she becomes the owner of pokémon.**

**Ash: Let's hope that never happens.**

**Kris: Meh, you stink Ash! Anyway, stay tuned for the next chapter it''ll be out next week.**

**All: Don't forget to review! Happy Halloween!**

**R&R**


	2. Chapter 2

**Kris: Hi! Hi! Everyone! I'm putting the second chapter on here now.**

**May: That's the way we do it let's get to it.**

**Ash: Come on everyone!**

**AJ: We're all in this together!**

**Mikey: Once we know that we are we're all stars and we see that!**

**All: We're all in this together and it shows when we stand hand in hand make our dreams come true!**

**Kris: O.o…I don't own pokémon.**

**All: Wildcats sing along!**

What If

Chapter 2

The evening was still pretty early as the Maple family, guests included, finished their meals and dropped the dirty dishes in the sink to be washed. The three adults all sat in the front room with a cup of coffee and conversed amongst themselves. It was mostly Caroline and Delia catching up as old friends do. In other parts of the house, May had given Ash the grand tour of the house that ended at her room where they decided to stay.

"Door open, May!" Caroline yelled sensing the two teenagers with her mothers' intuition. May merely rolled her eyes and kept the door slightly creaked. She offered her red computer chair to Ash, to which he gladly accepted. Before they began to talk, May made sure her curtains were closed and her window was shut to avoid any interruptions from her nosy neighbor. She resorted in sitting on her bed watching Ash look around her disorganized room. She laughed at his gaping expression and made the first move.

"It's cluttered…I know." He gave a soft laugh as she looked around too, admiring her work. "So…where are you from?" she looked at him with an innocent expression as he rolled the chair a bit closer to her. May took note of this and her smile grew slightly.

"I'm from here actually. But my mom and I have been traveling around Kanto for a long time." He explained. May nodded in response.

"Well, I've lived here all of my life." She said. He gave a smile and looked out the window…or he would've had it not been covered by the curtains.

"Why'd you shut your window?" He got up and pulled the curtains back and was greeted by an…unexpected face. "Whoa!" He took a step back only to trip over the chair he was just sitting in. May gave an annoyed sigh.

"That's why…" she said as she helped him to his feet. With a flick of her hair she walked up to the window that held a confused Gary behind it. She undid the lock and slid the window open. "What do you want?" she asked as she stuck her head out the window.

"Is that anyway to greet your _boyfriend_?" he gave her a smirk as she gaped. Ash wore a surprised look and looked at Gary's smirking face and the back of May's head.

"Heh, you wish." She reentered her room and shut her window before Gary could reply. She smirked widely as she snapped the lock tightly.

"Was that your boyfriend?" Ash asked as he sat down. May shuddered wildly as she closed the curtains once more.

"Ew, no. He's just some guy who lives next door to me." She said with a somewhat disturbed look on her face. Ash laughed slightly when he saw her expression.

"Um…so…what school do you go to?" he scratched his head nervously. May shook her head in order to make him feel more comfortable.

"Pallet High School. I'm a sophomore." His eyes widened at her comment.

"A sophomore? You look so much older." He looked her up and down making her feel a little self-conscious.

"What makes you say that? Is it because I'm more developed than most girls my age?" she gave him an expectant glare.

"I…uh…" he began to pull at his shirt collar and sweat. May watched his nervousness edge on with an amused expression until she burst into a fit of laughter. He looked at her in surprise but soon caught on to her joke and merely scowled in her direction.

"I'm sorry." She gave an apologetic smile and received a grunt in response. She giggled again. He stared at her trying to be angry but couldn't bring himself to do it. He just decided to relax in the chair and put his hands behind his head and lean back. "So did you move here?" she asked him while hugging one of her throw pillows.

"Just a few days ago. I'll be going to Pallet High tomorrow starting my first day." May smiled widely.

"That's pretty cool. You already have a friend in me…that is…if you wanna be friends." She gave him a shy smile. He laughed a bit and returned her smile.

"That would be nice." She smiled widely. They were about to continue on with their conversation when Ash's name was called.

"Ash! It's time to go!" Delia shouted through the house. He sighed and got up from his chair, heading for the door. As he pulled it open he winked in May's direction with a smirk on his face. May blushed lightly when he left.

"Bye…" she whispered softly. With an exhaled breath May fell back on her bed.

.-.

_Chirp…chirp…chirp chirp chirpy chirp…_

"Oh geez! Shut up you stupid bird!" May growled as she slammed her pillow over her head and tried to get back to sleep.

"Wow, someone's cranky today." When she heard that voice, she mentally rolled her eyes and tossed one of her text books at the window with it ending in a thump and an 'ow'.

"I forgot what a good arm you had." She sat up and rubbed her eyes. Once they were focused on the blinding sunlight she couldn't help but laugh at the red mark shaped like a book on Gary's face.

"Direct hit! I _am_ good." She smiled and climbed out of bed. He smirked and stepped fully inside of her room. May looked at him with a weird expression. "What do you think you're doing? I have to get dressed. Go home!" she shouted and pointed and pointed to his house.

"Ah, but May darling. I wanted so badly to see you and couldn't wait 'til our stroll to school to do so. Plus you look so cute with that bed head of yours." He smirked. May growled angrily and pushed him out the window. With that, she shut the window, closed the curtains, and walked to her drawer where all her clothes were.

"What to wear today? Oh I know! How about what I wear every single day of the year." May rolled her eyes and pulled out her school uniform that just screamed individuality. After she had gotten dressed, she walked out the door, grabbed a cream cheese smothered bagel, strapped on her backpack and with a muffled 'good bye' to her family she walked out the door. She hopped down the last few steps of her porch and made her way to the sidewalk.

Everything was going fine until she saw the dark-haired brunette walk out of his house clad in his school uniform which was different from her own. It included a white business t-shirt with a black tie. As well as black slacks and black shoes. She rolled her eyes as he stood in front of his house waiting for her to come by. As she passed him, he joined her by her side and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"So…did you think about us?" he asked her. She looked at him from a side glance and scoffed.

"I didn't think you were serious. And besides that, I had company so I was too busy entertaining guest to do any thinking last night." She gave a smirk as he looked at her with a somewhat hurt expression.

"Ah…a stab heart to the heart." He faked being stabbed causing May to laugh somewhat. "Who was that guy?" he asked with a deeper tone.

"His name is Ash. His mom and my mom used to be best friends in college, so last night we invited them over to dinner. He's going to be going to our school." She explained. "Now I have a question for you…why did you say you were my boyfriend?" she developed a somewhat angry expression.

"I want to see his reaction if he saw that I was dating you." He grabbed her hand and swung it back and forth.

"Well I hope you're happy. Now he probably thinks I'm friends with a psycho who walks into girls rooms uninvited." She rolled her eyes.

"I'm not a psycho, I'm just crazy about you." He nuzzled his head on hers. She jumped back and smacked him on the head. He rubbed his head and smiled at her.

"Yeah well, you make me crazy…ew…how much grease do you put on your head?" she ran her hand across her face and wiped the residue on his arm. He shook his head and laughed. May glared at him from the corner of her eye. The rest of the walk to school was mostly silent aside from the unavoidable flirting moments on Gary's part.

Once they reached the gates of the school May ran to the door and walked in. Gary gave her a questionable look before shaking it off and walking away. In no particular hurry, May walked to her locker and opened it inspecting yesterday's damage.

"Hm…I must've been really mad yesterday…" she said out loud. Shrugging slightly she picked up her biology book and started walking to the cafeteria to meet up with her friends.

"I wonder if Ash made it here okay." She looked up and down the hallway trying to spot her new friend but came up short.

"Oh well, I might have a class with him…who knows?" she smiled and walked down the stairs and could already hear one of her friends as she walked closer to the table.

"-And I'm just sitting there listening to the old man lecture on about crap that nobody cares about. I'm like 'Dad, get a freaking clue!'" May immediately rolled her eyes as she sat her books down and took a seat.

"What's wrong today Kelly?" May gave the purple-haired girl a smirk. Kelly exhaled loudly and slammed her head on the wooden table.

"It's my pops. He's suffering through menopause!" she yelled.

"Um…Kells? Only women have menopause…unfortunately…" May sweatdropped as she pointed that out.

"Well a mid-life crisis or whatever! He's just getting on my nerves a lot more than usual and I didn't even do anything this time!" she threw her arms in the air as May chuckled lightly.

"You sure about that?" She asked as she opened her biology book and took out a pencil and some paper.

"Yes I'm sure and it looks like someone didn't do their bio homework." Kelly raised an eyebrow at May with a smirk.

"I have better things to do in life than take notes over carbon dioxide." May huffed as she wrote her heading on the paper.

"Yet you wonder why you have a C+ in that class." Kelly shook her head and took out her purse. Kelly was probably more of a tomboy out of the two of them. She hated the fact that she had to wear a skirt most of her life and that Converse's were forbidden. The only thing somewhat 'girly' about her was the pink ribbon she wore in her head, which her father insisted she wear.

The person sitting at the table listening to Kelly rant was Brianna, a freshman with short dark red hair. She was always stuck listening to Kelly's problems, but didn't mind being that ear. She was very quiet and never spoke up unless pushed to the edge. They became friends in their gym class. Oddly enough they're a pretty tight nit group.

"Is biology hard?" Brianna asked in a quiet voice. May slammed her hands on the page she was on, catching Brianna off guard.

"Are you kidding me?! It's the most hardest class in the world!" Kelly rolled her eyes and looked at May.

"If you don't do your work." May shrugged and continued doing her notes. Brianna giggled as Kelly stood up and walked toward the breakfast line.

"Get me a muffin!" May yelled before she was too far away. As she looked back she saw Ash walking downstairs with a piece of paper in his hands and a lost expression on his face. With a smile she got up from her chair and ran over to greet him. He looked up and saw her coming his way and he smiled.

"What's up May?" he asked as she started to walk with him. She giggled lightly and laced her arms behind her back.

"Hey Ash, you look lost." He chuckled and handed her the paper with a list of all his classes on it. They stopped walking as she took a second to look over it. She read it over and over again making sure she read it right.

"So…got any classes with me?" he asked with a hopeful tone.

"We have every class together. Even study hall!" She exclaimed as she handed him the paper. He smiled widely and laughed.

"Wow…that's weird." He scratched his hand slightly.

"Tell me about it." She scratched her head and looked up at him. "Whoa, you're kinda tall." She admired his height while checking him out at the same time. _'And super cute too!'_ she giggled to herself as a faint blush appeared on her cheeks. Ash noticed her staring and developed a somewhat self-conscious expression.

"Um…you okay?" she snapped out of her gaze and smiled stupidly at him causing him to sweatdrop and laugh nervously.

"So let me show you around. Obviously this is the cafeteria. We have two lines, there's no particular reason…they're just…there. The seats and stuff are over there and the trashcans are to your right." May pointed to each item as she went on, but Ash was too preoccupied looking at the lunch line to listen.

"And over there is the…Ash? Ash are you paying attention?" she asked in a somewhat hurt tone.

"Um yeah…can we go through the line and get some breakfast?" he asked and in anxious tone. May looked at him weirdly and agreed. He shot his arm in the air and pulled her over to the line with him.

'_Whoa dude…what the heck?'_ she said to herself. Once they were inside, her let go of her hand and grabbed a tray. May followed suit as they walked up to the counter where all the breakfast food was. Ash gaped at the sight as May put something on his tray and pushed him along.

"Come on now Ash, I love food too but not this cafeteria's food." She rolled her eyes as the cafeteria lady over heard her.

"Gee, tell me how you really feel…" May sweatdropped and shrugged slightly.

.-.

Ash sat quietly at his desk doing daily work of American History while the girl sitting next to him was texting like there was no tomorrow. He rolled his eyes, sick of her button pushing. He looked behind him to find May two seats away. She looked up and smiled. He smiled back and turned around sighing.

"OMG! I cannot believe he said that!" she squealed as she continued with her button mashing. The girl had short orange-haired styled in a side ponytail with a few bangs combed down. Giving up, Ash gave her a stare.

"Could you quit that?" she looked up at him with a defiant look.

"Why should I?" she said with her hand on her hip.

"Because it's annoying!" he shouted.

"You're annoying…Alf!" she retaliated.

"My name is Ash!" he growled at her. She growled back. By this time everyone had looked up at their classroom interruption but the teacher had yet to notice. May heard them going at it and walked up to their table.

"Um…I'm not sure if you've noticed this or not but you're drawing a lot of attention to yourselves." She said catching their angry stares.

"So what?!" they both yelled at her causing her to cringe.

"Hey! Don't yell at me!" she shouted back.

"What's with all the yelling huh? May get back to your seat and Ash and Misty am I gonna have to separate you two?" The teacher shot up and approached the arguing students. May huffed and stomped back to her seat. Ash nodded wildly at his suggestion while Misty rolled her eyes and exhaled and well needed breath.

"Fine. Ash switch spots with Dawn, that way these two with stop texting in class. Your phone please, Ms. Waterflower." He gave her an expectant look and held his hand out. Misty gaped widely at his request.

"WHAT?! I wasn't even texting!" she shouted. He gave a look.

"Really now? What's that in your hand then?" he pointed to her right hand where her phone was tightly clutched.

"But…but…I…ugh! Fine!" she thrust the phone into his hand and blew up her bangs in anger. She gave Ash a death glare as he shrugged it off and grabbed his things preparing to move. May went back to her seat and watched as Dawn gathered her things as well.

"Have fun up there." She told Dawn, who laughed lightly. Dawn was the girl from yesterday who laughed stupidly at one of Gary's lame jokes. May always kinda thought of her as the airhead of the class. As Dawn left, Ash came to where May was and sat down next to her with a happy smile.

**Kris: End of chapter 2.**

**May: What time is it?**

**Ash: Summer time!**

**AJ: Time for vacation!**

**Mikey: What time is it?**

**Kris: Party time!**

**All: Schools out! Say it loud!**

**Kris: I wish…anyway in this chapter-**

**AJ: I think they know what happened.**

**May: Yeah, I mean they did read it…**

**Kris: I'm just doing a quick summary! As I was saying, in this chapter Gary and May have more of an interaction as do Ash and May. Then we are introduced to Kelly and Brianna as well as Misty and Dawn's somewhat appearance. This one was longer than the first chapter, I know. I just…yeah.**

**All: What?  
**

**Kris: Nevermind!**

**All: Oh…review! 4 Sure!**

**R&R**


	3. Chapter 3

**Kris: Hi! Hi! Everyone!**

**Ash: Hey!**

**May: Hi!**

**AJ: Hello!**

**Mikey: Sup!**

**Kris: So…are we like…normal today?**

**All: You could say that…**

**Kris: Good, anyway let's begin the chapter.**

**Ash: I'll do the disclaimer. KrystalClear101 is not the owner of pokémon, and I sure don't want her to be.**

**All: Don't we all?**

**Kris: You might be normal but you sure are mean.**

**All: Start the party!  
**

What If

Chapter 3

Soon the final bell rang releasing the eager students into the hallway. May grabbed her things and rushed out of the classroom hurriedly in order to avoid a scene with Gary. As she made her way to her locker to drop off her things, she caught Ash and Gary talking at the front door.

'_Oh no…oh no! They cannot be talking?! They might become friends!'_ she growled and slammed her locker shut. With an angry scowl on her face she walked up to the boys and interrupted their conversation.

"Ahem…what are you guys talking about?" she gave Gary an expectant look while he stared endearingly at her.

"What I always talk about…you." He flashed her a smile, to which she rolled her eyes and turned her attention towards Ash. Ash looked at Gary with a weird expression but shook it off when he saw the unconvinced look on May's face.

"So what's up Ash? How was your first day?" May asked him.

"It was okay, aside from what happened last hour with Misty…" he rolled his eyes and scratched his head.

"Fisty Misty? Dude steer clear from her. She's so hostile!" Gary shook his head. May and placed a hand on Ash's shoulder.

"Don't worry, we only have one class with her." May said as she walked off leaving Gary a bit confused.

"What's she talking about?" Gary asked Ash.

"We have the same classes together." Ash explained. Gary gave off a shocked expression when he heard his comment.

"Lucky." He smirked and walked out of the front doors with Ash behind him. Ash began to wonder why Gary acted the way he did around May and why they weren't together.

'_Not that I want them to be together or anything…it's just weird.'_ He shrugged it off and continued walking along with him.

"So…what's going on between you and May? Are you guys dating?" Ash asked in curiosity.

"Heh, I wish. No, we're not dating even though everyone at school says we should." He stuffed his hands in his pockets and set his gaze forward.

"Why do they say that?" he asked.

"May and I have known each other for who knows how long. So everyone thinks that since we grew up together, we'd make the perfect couple. The only problem with that is I think May hates me." He laughed and looked down at his feet.

"How come?" Ash laughed with him.

"I'm not exactly the perfect gentleman." He smiled and looked up at the cloud-covered sky. A cool breeze swept through the boys' hair as the walked along the leaf-covered sidewalk.

"Exactly? You're horrible." A voice came from behind.

"Where'd you come from?" Ash asked in a comical voice. May rolled her eyes and stood between the boys as they walked on.

"So May, how much of that conversation did you hear?" Gary asked in a scared tone.

"Um…the part about you being the perfect gentleman…that's all I heard. Why? Is there something you didn't want me to hear?" she looked at both of them with a sly grin. Ash shrugged and looked over at Gary who gestured for him to keep quiet.

"No just asking. Where do you live Ash?" Gary quickly changed the subject, gaining a stare from May.

"Oh I live by the park." He pointed up ahead. May looked and saw the park just a few blocks up.

"You got quite a ways to walk huh?" she gave a short laugh as he rolled his eyes and smiled.

"Not today. You see May, my buddy Ash here is staying at my house for dinner tonight." Gary gave her a mischievous grin. May gaped as she averted her gaze over to Ash who nodded in response.

"Wow, do you plan on going to everyone's houses?" she snapped and walked off with a scowl on her face. Ash watched her stomp away and looked at Gary in confusion.

"What was that all about?" he asked the brown-haired boy. Gary shrugged and continued walking with him. Ash couldn't help but feel a bit guilty for causing her to leave the way she did but he couldn't explain why he felt the way he did.

.-.

The two boys sat in Gary's room listening to music and talking. Ash was doing most of the talking while Gary just nodded, taking a quick glance over to May's house every now and then. It didn't take long for Ash to notice him switching his gaze over to the adjacent house. This earned Gary a sly look from Ash to which he snapped out of his stare and looked confused.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked in a defensive way.

"I know you want to go over there. Just go." Ash told him. Gary shook his head no and rested his head in his palms looking longingly out the window to May's room. She wasn't in there at the time but her window was wide open practically calling him to go over there.

Ash sighed annoyingly and walked over the Gary's window and stepped out. Again, he knocked Gary out of his trance and caused him to walk over to the window. Before Ash could get halfway to May's house, Gary stopped him.

"What are you doing?" Gary asked in a surprised tone.

"If you're not gonna go over there then I am." Ash responded with a smile. Gary grunted and also stepped out, planning to stop him. Ash continued walk on until Gary stopped him.

"You can't just walk into her room when she's not in there!" he protested.

"Why not? You've probably done it before. And what's it to you? You're not dating or anything." Gary was shocked to hear this.

"Come back here!" Gary grabbed his arm to stop him. Ash snapped his head back and glared.

"What?!" he shouted back.

"Would you shut up?!" They both turned their heads towards the window where an angry May was standing with an angry expression on his face. "I'm trying to do homework in here." She looked at them with an expectant look.

Ash snatched his arm back and stuffed his hands in his pockets as he turned away from Gary and looked out into the empty street. Gary glared at the back of his head for a few seconds before he placed his hands behind his head and looked up at the evening peach colored sky as the sun set slowly. May sighed and looked at both boys for a few seconds.

"Come on." She said causing both of them to look at her.

"What?" Gary spoke up.

"That's what this is about isn't it?" they looked at each other and looked back at her. "So…come on." She gave slight smile and walked away from the window allowing them to come into her room.

May never felt bad about letting Gary come into her room. In fact, her parents knew about his many visits to their daughter's room ever since they were little. There was no problem with him coming in or her going out since they had known each other for so long and their families were so close. It was almost a routine thing for the two teenagers.

"Okay, what's so great about coming to my house anyway?" She asked looking at both boys as they sat on the carpet in her room; one with his legs spread out and the other with one leg propped up. Gary shrugged and looked up at the ceiling.

"He was scared to come over here." Ash explained. May looked at Gary with a surprise smile.

"I wasn't scared." He protested. Ash rolled his eyes and nodded in May's direction with a smile.

"So I decided to come over and he tried to stop me." May looked over a Gary again as he glared at Ash.

"Well who cares, there's nothing great about my house anyway so there's no reason to fight." May looked at them and smiled.

"Yeah, whatever." Gary said.

"Meh." Ash gave a stubborn grunt and looked at May. She sighed and stood over them gaining a surprised stare from both of them. She bent down the eye level and reared her hand back, smacking them both in the head.

"There…all better." She smiled sweetly watching them clutch their heads and glare at her as a somewhat large lump formed on the side of their heads.

"How does that make it better!?" Ash shouted at her. She giggled and walked around them to her window.

"You'll see." She winked at the stepped out, running away.

.-.

In the end, they ended up chasing May around the neighborhood when she initiated the challenge. Ash was the one who finally caught up with her and grabbed her by the waist, both of them laughing while Gary stood leaning against a tree watching the many colored leaves float to the ground. The sound of their laughter echoed throughout the cul-de-sac as the night began approaching. Soon, the giggles died down as May joined Gary in leaning against the tree, panting tiredly.

"Sounds like you had fun." He looked at her with a smile. She smiled back and nudged him in the elbow and sighed deeply. Ash lay back on the short beads of grass and looked up at the darkening sky as a few birds flew by. He exhaled a short breath and closed his eyes.

May lazily leaned her head on Gary's shoulder and looked ahead. Gary looked down at her in surprised way but it soon turned into a warm smile as he placed his hand in hers. All the while this was happening, May felt her face heating up and her heart beating furiously. She took in a sharp breath when he squeezed her hand.

"See…I knew you'd come around." He smirked. She laughed lightly and opened her eyes. She raised her head and looked at him. She saw that smirk on his face and pushed herself up from the tree and had her back turned to him. By this time he had released the grip he had on her hand and stared at her strangely.

"Not quite." She turned and gave him a sweet smile before running over to Ash and kicking him in the side. He saw her wave to the boy lying on the ground as she walked into her house and closed the door behind her. He sighed and looked up at the sky.

"I'm getting closer." He smiled and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

**Kris: End of Chapter 3.**

**May: Hey! Umm…I…**

**Ash: Uh wha?**

**AJ: Try speaking English parents!**

**Mikey: Yeah, that way people can understand you.**

**Rona: We are such a closer nit family.**

**Kris: Whoa? Where'd you come from?**

**Brendan: ME!  
**

**May: No, it was me!**

**All: IT WAS BOTH OF YOU!!!**

**Kris: Wow, okay then. Stay tuned for the next chapter!**

**All: Review! 4 Sure!**

**R&R**


	4. Chapter 4

**Kris: Hi! Hi! Everyone!**

**Mikey: It was an itsy bitsy…**

**AJ: …Teenie weenie… **

**May: …Yellow polka dot bikini…**

**Ash: That she wore for the first time day.**

**Kris: …I AM SO DONE! I DON'T OWN POKÉMON!**

**All: What did we say?**

**Mikey: She probably couldn't handle the randomness.**

**AJ: That's most likely it.**

**May: Well, now that that's done…**

**All: Start the party!!!**

What If

Chapter 4

Ash sighed tiredly as he walked through the doors of his new high school. He wandered the halls searching for anyone he met yesterday. But he saw no familiar faces. Feeling discouraged, he resorted to going to the cafeteria, hoping to spot May and possibly Gary. On his way down he over heard a few freshmen girls gossiping about various people.

"Did you hear?" one of them said.

"What?" the other answered.

Ash suddenly found himself eavesdropping on the two as they continued on with their conversation, unaware of his presence. One of girls had maroon colored hair styled into two messy ponytails while the other girl had light orange hair in two neat ponytails.

"May and the new kid! I heard she likes him." The girl with messy ponytails squealed.

"Really? How could she do that to Gary?" the girl with the neat ponytails responded.

"I know! It's kinda messed up you know Elli?" She said.

"Yeah Nicolette. I mean Gary has liked May for as long as anyone can remember. We all thought she would be dating him before anyone else." Elli said.

"Right. You know what else I heard?" Nicolette responded.

"What?" Elli asked.

"That the new kid is kinda cute. I wonder what he looks like." She put a finger to her chin and began to daydream.

"Well you know if May likes him then he has to be cute." Elli giggled as they walked away gossiping about other things.

Ash gaped in response as they walked away leaving him stunned. He somewhat shook it off and continued walking to the cafeteria, all the while thinking about what he had just heard. Of course he knew about May and Gary and their current relationship. He knew that Gary liked May but the feeling wasn't mutual. But now, he's beginning to wonder whether or not May likes him or if it was just a rumor.

"Oh well, I'll find out eventually." He whispered to himself.

"Find out what?" He jumped as he looked to his left to see May wielding a breakfast tray in her hands looking at him with a questionable glare.

"Um…I'll tell you later, okay?" he said as he picked up the yellow orange from her tray and began throwing it in the air repeatedly as she walked over to her table to sit down. She watched him toss the orange over and over again until she stared at him and rested her head in her palm.

Soon Ash noticed her staring and stopped his current action and returned the stare. While he was gazing he noticed things about her that he had never noticed before. They both looked as if they were in an intense staring contest.

'_She has really blue eyes and full lips. Round cheeks, wavy brown hair. Man am I obsessed or what?'_ he laughed to himself, somewhat snapping May out of her gaze as she focused her attention on her breakfast that consisted of a box of Frosty Flakes and a blueberry muffin.

"So…did you finish the English homework?" he asked he started to peel the orange with his thumb. She fumbled with her milk carton before answering him.

"Uh…yeah! I did actually." She gave him a smile as she poured the white liquid over the brown flakes. "Did you?" she asked. He gave a nod and set the peeled orange on a napkin sitting on her tray.

"I thought it was kinda easy. Anyway, don't you have a younger brother." He asked her as he drew circles on the cafeteria table with his index finger.

"Yeah. His name is Max." she explained. He nodded.

"Where was he when I came over?" he asked questionably.

"He was over a friends' house." She said. "It's funny because I didn't even know he was gone." She laughed. "What about you? Do you have any siblings?" He shook his head.

She stayed quiet as he snatched her ID and looked at it. She gasped and tried to get it back but he continued to hold it out of her reach, further irritating her. She sucked her teeth and grabbed his arm in order to get it back. He just laughed and put it in his other hand.

"Come on Ash! Give it back!" she protested.

"Why can't I just see it?" he said with a laughed. She grunted and sat back in her chair as she glared at him.

"It's a horrible picture that's why!" she huffed and continued to eat her breakfast. He laughed as he looked at the picture. This caused May to hold her head in her hands and sigh,

"This is not a horrible picture. It's a really nice one. At least I think so." He said as he gave it back to her. She looked up and caught him grinning at her. She blushed and smiled back as she took her ID and clipped it back on her shirt.

The two sat there talking about various things until the second bell rang signaling them to get ready for the first class of the day. May got ready to dump her tray until Ash stopped her and took it to the trashcan for her. She gaped at his action and remembered the smirk on his face.

'_Aw! He's so nice! Wait…am I falling for him? I've only known him for three days.'_ She thought to herself as she gathered her things and waited for him to get back. Soon she walked over to where he was and they walked to class together. All was silent until Gary came up to the two.

"Hey Ash. I see you've been around my girlfriend a lot haven't you?" he smirked as he put his arm around May.

"If only I had a mallet…" May grumbled as she snapped her fingers. Ash laughed somewhat as he watching May's miserable expression.

"Shouldn't you be getting to class? Or are you trying to break your all time record of 98 tardies in one year?" she gave him a smirk. He laughed somewhat and tried to give May a peck on the cheek but she moved out of the way and lightly smacked him on the head.

"Alright, alright. I'm going. See you later." He gave her a smirk and knowing glance to Ash. May sighed and entered the computer lab with Ash close behind.

"Now you see what I have gone through everyday of my high school career." Ash gave a short laugh.

.-.

"Bon appétit!" the foreign language teacher released her students to lunch at 12:20. The students scrambled out of the classroom, eager to devour their food and socialize with students from other classes possibly. While the other students had already made it halfway down the stairs, Ash and May walked slowly toward the staircase conversing about the life and other things.

"So let me get this straight, you actually like classic rock?" Ash asked her in disbelief.

"Yeah. Unbelievable huh?" She responded with a smile.

"Heck yeah! I mean you're the one of the only girls I know who doesn't listen to pop music. You're a real individual." He gave her a smile to which she blushed and looked away almost instantly.

"Hey now, I don't know about all of that. I just like different things than most girls." She scratched her head and laughed. As they took that last step from the stairs and rounded corner, May had already spotted Gary coolly leaning against the wall talking to one of his friends. He looked up when he saw Ash and May laughing at something.

"Isn't that the new kid talking to your girl Oak?" one guy spoke up. Gary scoffed and gave a smirk.

"She's not my girl Drew, not yet at least." He smirked and walked over to the two.

"Are you coming through the line today Ash?" May asked as they walked into the cafeteria with two long lines and one short one.

"Nah, I'm gonna head on through the snack bar line, but save me a seat okay?" She nodded as they went their separate ways. May stood in line as she moved forward every few seconds. Then everything became dark as someone put hands over her eyes.

"What the? Who is this?" she asked in a somewhat angry tone.

"Oh come on, you should know who it is by now May." Gary removed his hands and looked at her with a frustrated smile.

"Well, you've down it so many times that I forget. Anyway, are you eating lunch today?" she asked as the line moved forward.

"Well, I didn't plan on dying today so that's a no." she laughed at his joke.

"The cafeteria food is not _that_ bad. And you've never even eaten it before." She protested against his words.

"Yeah whatever. You and Ash have gotten close. I don't understand how you could cheat on me like that May." He gave a hurt look as she looked at him crossly.

"Sure we've become close but that's only because we have every class together, but it's nothing more than friendship. Now as far as our relationship goes, the whole world is waiting for us to go out but unless you do something to make me like you more than I already do, they're gonna be waiting a long time." She explained.

Gary contemplated what she had said for a few minutes before responding. _'I've waited practically my whole life to win May over and I'm not going to stop here. We've gotten this far and we just have to take one more step and we'll be there…'_ he thought to himself.

"Well then, meet me after school today." He said as he walked away.

"What? Where?" she asked in a surprised tone. He turned back around and gave her a smirk.

"Don't tell me you've forgotten about our special place already." She smiled and watched him walk away.

"What's he got up his sleeve this time…" she whispered to herself as she finally approached the inside of the line to pick up a tray. Once that was done, she got the food she wanted and paid the lunch lady at the counter. Was she exited the line she began to scan the tables searching for a spot for her and Ash to sit at.

"Hey May! Over here!" she heard Ash calling her name from the corner of the cafeteria.

"Hey! Wasn't I supposed to save you a seat?" she asked in a playful tone.

"Well as fate would have it, I got out of the line before you did." He said with a smile. She shrugged and sat down next to him. Ash had a slice of pizza on his tray with a bottle of water.

"That's a well balanced meal you got there Ash." May said in a sarcastic tone. Ash laughed and pushed her lightly. She giggled and started to eat her lunch.

.-.

"I swear if you touch my hair one more time-" May turned around to yell at the boy behind her.

"She'll murder you're family!" A boy a few desks down spoke up causing the other students around to laugh loudly.

"Shut up Caleb!" she glared at him and turned her attention back to the boy behind her looking very scared.

"Don't be so mean! I just like your hair." He shrugged lightly.

"Then take a picture, Thomas!" she yelled as she turned back around.

"But I can't touch a picture." He threw his hands up in the air.

"Yes you can!" she shouted back.

"You know what I mean." He glared at the back of her head and attempting to touch her brown locks once more.

Thomas was a somewhat large boy with curly brown hair and brown eyes. He always wore a sweatshirt with his school uniform. Thomas was very friendly with everyone except May who seemed to hate his guts.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." The boy sitting next to him, John advised. Thomas looked up and saw May slightly turn her head and glare at him from the corner of her eye. He mentally flinched at her disturbed look.

May slowly turned her attention back to the assignment she was working on until her English teacher walked up to the front of the class and began to speak. The students in the class give her one look before going back to what they were doing.

"Excuse me, class. Everyone look up here please." She said in an old voice.

"Oh no, here it comes…" John rolled his eyes as he turned to face the front.

"Hey! Everyone turn around and face the front and stop talking." She yelled. "Raise your hands please." She asked. All the students groaned as they raised their right hands in the air.

"I will never understand why she treats us like we're in the first grade." John rolled his eyes.

"Tell me about it…" May gave a laugh in response.

"Ash, I don't see your hand." She called him out. Ash looked at her in an annoyed way and raised his hand slowly to satisfy her and quickly shot it back down.

May giggled lightly as Ash turned around and smirked at her. Ms. Bacon, the English teacher, explained the assignment to the students and stood up there asking if the students had an questions.

"Uh, Ms. Bacon, how do you feel about stem cell research?" Tyson asked from out of nowhere.

"Well, I think it's a very important issue in today's society…" she said. It was very common to get Ms. Bacon to go off on a tangent. While she continued to talk without anyone listening, the rest of the class pulled out cellphones, MP3's, and other handheld devices. May rolled her eyes and rested her head on the desk until she saw Ash get up and walk all the way to the other side of the classroom where she was. He was pretending to get a tissue, but in all actuality he just wanted to talk to her.

"Does this always happen?" he asked as he sat in the desk next to her. She nodded and laughed as she pulled out a notebook.

"Yeah, Tyson always gets her off subject but we end up getting homework." She sighed and took out a pencil.

"Oh, that sucks. Hey, what are you doing after school today?" he asked as he took her notebook and pen and began to right something down.

"Ah!" she gaped at his action as he laughed. "Nothing I think…oh wait! Gary said he wanted to talk to me about something after school. So I guess I'm going to meet him after school." She sighed and snatched the notebook back from him with a triumphant smirk.

"I was using that." He gave her a look and smiled.

**A/N: **Hello readers! Hey, look at me doing 'real' author notes! Lol, anyway I'm really sorry about the late update. There is a valid reason as to why it has taken so long. You see I do all my stories on my laptop but for some reason I can't get onto to post them SO I have to use a flash-drive and put all my stories on my home computer. Unfortunately, my flash-drive stopped working about two days before this chapter was due and I have yet to get another one. So now, I finally managed to get it on someone else's flash-drive so I can get it to you guys! OMG! That's a lot of explaining! Anyway, I hope you can be merciful to me and how long this has taken cuz I know I saidevery Friday. But hopefully the next one will be right on schedule.

Now that this is over and I have explained myself to the best of my abilities…REVIEW!!! LOL~!


	5. Chapter 5

**Kris: Hi! Hi! Everyone! Sorry for the wait!!!**

**Ash: Be aggressive!**

**May: Why???**

**Ash: Well gosh, I don't know…**

**AJ: Tell the world!**

**Mikey: Why?**

**AJ: Heck if I know…**

**Kris: Anyway, disclaimer time!!!**

**Disclaimer: KrystalClear101 is not the owner of pokémon. **

**All: Start the party!!!**

"…" – Dialogue

'…' – Thoughts

"…" – Phone conversation

Just…FYI

What If

Chapter 5

The afternoon pressed on as Gary tossed his remaining books inside of his locker and closed it shut. After turning it a few times to make sure it was securely locked, he began to walk down the north hallway. He coolly carried his briefcase over his right shoulder with his left hand stuffed in the pocket of his black slacks with a blank expression on his face. He slowly walked down the stairs of the second floor as the other students raced by him trying to get out of the building as soon as possible.

While he was walking he checked his watch to see what time it was. The long hand was on the seven as the short hand rested between the one and the two. He grunted slightly as he quickened his pace and walked out of the door in a haste. Once outside he looked through the crowd of students, impatiently waiting for their parents to pick them up. He ignored them as he walked down the steps and began to walk away from the school and onto the main sidewalk.

During this time he began contemplating to himself. He looked up at the dull blue sky as the sun shone down on the earth as the wind began to pick up slightly. He looked all around him and noticed a few scattered leaves on the ground. He watched as they danced through the wind like feathers. He smiled slightly but it soon faded as he dug deeper into his thoughts. He kept repeating what the young brunette had said to him that afternoon at lunch.

"_The whole world is waiting for us to go out but unless you do something to make me like you more than I already do, they're gonna be waiting a long time."_

It somewhat disturbed him how easily the statement had rolled off her tongue. It made him wonder if his attempts with her were really worth anything after all these years if she still thought of him as the annoying neighbor. Was it really worth his time to keep going after her if he was making no progress? Was she really worth it?

"Of course she is…she's worth everything…" he whispered to himself as he came above a beaten path to the right of the sidewalk. He started walking down the dirt path still thinking to himself.

He cared about her. A lot. To the point where it would drive him mad if he didn't see her at least once a day. She was constantly in his thoughts like a bad habit. But he didn't mind. He lived for her smile, her laugh, and even her angry stare. Those little things about her made his day.

As he continued walking down the path, he came upon a clearing with a small lake and several trees. Him and May had discovered this place when they were little. They called it their secret place. No one ever knew about this place but the two of them. It was something they shared between themselves.

"It's been awhile since I've been here." He smiled to himself as he reminisced about all the fun times here spent with May.

"Yeah, it has." He heard her soft voice behind him. He turned around and focused his jade eyes on her azure ones. She smiled up at him and giggled lightly. He smirked and turned back around and looked at the orange glare the water gave off from the sun.

May walked around Gary and sat down at the edge of the lake, silently waiting for him to join her. She soon felt his presence behind her and in a matter of seconds he was sitting next to her, still thinking to himself. Unbeknownst to him, she was staring at his lost expression. She wondered what he was thinking about.

"So…what did you want to talk about?" she asked while nervously twisting the tiny blades of grass below her. He looked in her eyes with a deep look on his face. May was taken aback by his serious face. She cleared her throat and averted her gaze downward to avoid his stare.

"May…be honest…what do you think of me?" he looked out at the lake once more as he awaited her answer. She snapped her head up and looked at him. He wore a content smile but refused to look at her. She looked down again as she thought about her answer.

'_What do I think of him? How am I supposed to answer…'_ she developed a slightly frustrated look as she too stared out at the still waters. Everything around them was quiet and still, like the world was on pause.

"Well?" he asked a second time with a little more irritation in his voice. May looked at him sternly and exhaled hard.

"I think of you as an egoistical jerk who likes to play with girls' emotions," she paused when she noticed the hurt look in his eyes. "But I also think of you as a someone who knows how to make me feel good about myself when I don't. You're a good guy." She looked up with her cheeks slightly tinted. Her gaze met his when he turned his head with the bland expression still on his face.

Soon she began to notice him lean in closer to her as time went on. Her heartbeat increased as he got closer. She took in a sharp breath as she gripped the grass in her head. Truth be told, she was nervous. Was he about to kiss her? She gasped when he cupped her chin in his head.

"Gary…I-" she spoke softly.

"Don't May…" he whispered. _'I've waited too long.'_ Soon his lips touched hers softly. He lightly kissed her a few times before he pulled back. By this time, her face was covered in a deep blush, as her expression was full of surprise. All the while he was kissing her she sat there, unmoving. She looked at his face, which was still content. With her chin still in his hand he reached in to kiss her again. This time when he pulled away she kissed back.

'_Oh my gosh…I'm kissing Gary. What does this mean? Why am I doing this? Don't I hate him? I thought I did. But kissing him should not feel this…this good.' _She said to herself as she pulled back and rested her forehead on his. He took the message and released her chin as he sat in the same position as her. May closed her eyes and breathed in and out deeply as her thoughts scattered across her brain endlessly.

Gary watched her intently, waiting for her to open her eyes and look at him. Waiting for her to say something, do something, give him some kind of message. His wish came true when she opened her eyes and looked at him. He smiled and embraced her. She gasped at his warm touch as she sat in his arms. He held her tightly as he nuzzled his nose into her wavy brown hair that smelled of fresh strawverries.

"May…you're everything I've always wanted. I can honestly say that you're the only girl I've ever really felt this type of feeling for. Ever since that time in my life, you've been in my mind." He paused. May felt her heart beating furiously as he went on. "I think…I'm in love with you." Her eyes shot open at his statement. He turned to look at her shocked expression.

"You…Gary I…" she released herself from his grip and stood up quickly. She took a few steps forward. "I…I'll talk to you later…okay?" she said with her back turned to him. With that, she walked out of the clearing, leaving a somewhat hurt Gary behind her.

.-.

The evening sun slowly began to hide itself beneath the horizon as many children entered their homes for the night. It was quiet as time passed on slowly. May slowly turned the knob of her bedroom door and lightly pushed it open. She looked around her red cream colored room, dully and dropped her suitcase by the door before she fell face first into her mattress. After a few seconds of lying there, she turned her head to the side and sighed.

'_Why? Why did I have to go there today? I'm more mixed up than usual…why'd he have to do that to me…' _she said to herself as her eyebrows furrowed and she began to frown. _'…Why did I do it back…and enjoy it…'_ she clutched her red blanket in her hands as her muscles began to tense up. That memory continued to replay itself in her mind until she was sick of it.

She sat up and looked out her window. She hadn't noticed how dark it had gotten outside. She frowned when she saw that Gary's bedroom light was on. She ran a stiff hand through her hair and poked her bottom lip out as she slouched on the edge of her bed. A loud knock from outside of her door snapped her out of her trance. Like a zombie, she strode over to the door and opened it slightly to see her kid brother, Max, standing there with an annoyed scowl on his face.

"What's wrong with you? Never mind, you have a phone call." He said. May rolled her eyes. She didn't feel like talking on the phone.

"Can you take a message?" She asked in a somewhat pleading voice. He raised his eyebrows slightly at her. It wasn't like May to dismiss a phone call. He sighed with a small smirk on his face.

"Fine. What should I tell this…Ash guy then?" he asked. May's eyes widened when he mentioned the raven-haired boy's name. Max pushed his glasses up on his face. He had his hands in the pockets of his beige shorts. He wore a white dress shirt with a loose lie hanging around his heck.

"Ash called?" she asked in a shocked tone. She expected it to be someone like Kelly or Gary, but not Ash. What could he possibly be calling for? She was surprised by his call. Hearing his name made her change her mind on whether or not she wanted to talk on the phone or. It somewhat brightened up her mind.

"You know what Max? I changed my mind. I'll take the call." She smiled slightly. She stepped out of her room and walked into the main part of the house where the phone was sitting idly on the counter waiting to be picked up. May took a deep sigh as she picked up the phone and held it up to her right ear.

"Hello?" she answered it a lightened tone.

"_May? Hey, it's Ash!"_ He answered in his usual cherry voice that brought a smile to her face.

"Hi Ash! What's up?" she asked as she leaned against the kitchen counter.

"_Oh nothing much. Just trying to get some homework done. You?" _He answered. She laughed lightly at his comment and stood up straight. She started walking back toward her room.

"You know you shouldn't do homework and talk on the phone at the same time. It's a huge distraction, especially if you're talking to a girl." She smirked to herself as she closed the door behind her and fell back on her bed.

"_Heh. You have a point there. Girls are distractions. You in particular." _Her ears clicked at his comment.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked in a fake shocked voice.

"_I mean that you're a distraction."_ He answered calmly.

"Like how?" she laughed. _'This is getting good…'_ she thought to herself.

"_I don't know! You just…get me off track sometimes."_ He laughed to himself.

"Does this mean that mister Ash thinks about me?" she laughed at his answer as she tried to imagine his facial expression.

"_It's kind of hard not to since we have every class together." _He laughed again.

"Oh so you don't want to be in the same classes now?" she giggled inwardly, waiting for him to fall into her trap.

"_No! That's not what I meant! I like having clasess with you and I uh-" _he stopped when he heard light giggling on the other end. _"Ha. Very funny." _He grunted softly.

"I'm sorry Ash. You are such an easy target. I couldn't help it." She apologized.

"_Yeah, well thanks for making me feel so much better about myself now…"_ he rolled his eyes as the sarcasm rolled off of his tongue easily. May laughed loudly as she crossed her legs Indian style and played with a loose strand on her skirt. After a few more seconds, it was quiet on both ends of the phone.

'_Should I tell him about Gary?'_ she thought to herself. _'I wish I knew. Give me a sign!' _she sighed audibly.

"_Hey May, is something wrong? You can tell me anything."_ She smiled at his offer and laughed somewhat.

"You know what Ash? You said exactly what I wanted to hear." She took a deep breath and began to explain.

**Kris: This chapter is a lot longer than I had planned it to be. So we'll find out next chapter what they talked about on the phone and whether May is going to finally go out with Gary.**

**Ash: Well, here we are once again…this is just like that one time.**

**May: At the Christmas party? That was awesome.**

**AJ: You mean where we did 'ring around the rosy?'**

**Mikey: Yah, that was kind of fun.**

**Kris: In any case, I'm feeling really smart right now…so here is my theory…cheese.**

**All: Genius!**

**-Applauds-**

**Kris: Thank you! Thank you! Please tune in for the next chapter. And don't forget to review! The new convenient button is right there! There's no avoiding it now! **

**All: Okay…whoa? 4 Sure!**

**R&R**


	6. Chapter 6

**Kris: Hi! Hi! Everyone! Let's get started!**

**Mikey: Oh yeah!**

**AJ: We rock!**

**Ash: Who rules?**

**May: Not you…**

**Ash: That's some support system I got there…yep.**

**Kris: Funny. I am not the owner of pokémon or its artificial flavoring.**

**All: What?**

**Kris: Just start the party!**

**All: Oh…okay…START THE PARTY!!!**

What If

Chapter 6

"_Whoa May…are you serious?" _Ash asked in a shocked tone.

"I wish I wasn't. I don't know what to say to him. I feel all awkward now." She said as she ran a loose hand through her chestnut hair. May sat on the edge of her bed with her legs crossed wearing a large yellow t-shirt and tight blue biker shorts with white ankle socks to sleep in. Her main bedroom light was on with the curtains and windows closed. Her eyes stayed focused on the pink wall clock in her room in the shape of an apple. The long hand moved slowly toward the eleven as the short hand stayed between the twelve and the one.

"_Heh, I would too. I don't know what to tell you…I'm sorry."_ He sighed apologetically. May gave a short laugh as she listened to him sigh somewhat sadly.

"It's not your fault Ash. It's his fault for liking me." She laughed. She waited for him to reply and received a laugh from him.

"_Well you can't really blame him…"_ she blushed as his comment.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, catching onto his dangling compliment.

"_Don't try to act denser than me May. That's impossible. You know exactly what I meant."_ He laughed causing her to laugh as well.

"I know what you meant. Hold on…don't tell me…Ash?!" she somewhat shrieked.

"_I'll see you tomorrow May. Bye!" _With that, he hung up the phone with one last laugh.

"Wait a minute! Ugh…not now. Please not now!" she sighed as she pressed the end button on the phone and tossed it on the bed as she fell back and laid a hand on her abdomen and looked up at the ceiling, blowing her bangs up in the process. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to push all of these crazy thoughts out of her mind so she could attempt at a good nights sleep.

'_Ash…Gary…do they both like me? Oh man! This is crazy! What on earth did I do to deserve all this confusion?'_ she got up from her current lying position and let her head fall face first into her burgundy pillow. She turned her head lazily so it faced the left wall. All the while she was sitting there, she was racking her brain trying to figure out what she should do.

"Maybe I should talk to Brock…hmm…I'll talk him tomorrow." She said as she nodded her head and brought her covers up over her shoulder and settled herself in nicely. Slowly, she closed her eyes and fell asleep with thoughts of nervousness and worry evident in her mind.

.-.

Thursday. Possibly the dullest day of the week. Thursday. There was nothing exciting about Thursday. Come to think of it there was nothing exciting about Tuesday either. In between the most hated day of the week, the middle day of the week and the second most loved. Monday, Wednesday and Friday. But Tuesday and Thursday?

"Oh what's the point of it all? Why do we need weekdays? Why do we need days at all?" Kelly rambled on as she dragged her feet down the hallway. May sweat-dropped from behind her as she wore an apologetic smile. Along with her feet, Kelly also let her backpack drag across the tiled floor lazily.

"I don't know Kelly. But we do. Anyway, you seem more wasted than usual…wanna talk about it?" May asked hopefully.

"No May, not really. I stayed up all night yesterday studying for biology. And judging by your usual perkiness…"

"I totally forgot! Oh man!" she slapped her palm against her forehead and frowned.

"I knew it. You always forget. I tried to call but the line was busy." Kelly gave her an expectant glare whilst May twiddled her fingers together nervous.

"Well Ash called and we just kinda talked for a really long time and…yeah." She scratched the back of her head as she looked at her purple haired friend.

"Who is the Ash guy you keep talking about? He must be something if he's got your attention _this_ much." Kelly grinned. "Better than Gary…that lame excuse for a human being…" she muttered under her breath. At the sound of that name, May grew deathly silent as her gaze averted down to her shoes and her hands searched for the necklace that hung around her neck.

"Heh, I never knew those hideous shoes were so interesting May." Kelly commented as she noticed May's intense stare. She gave a sigh as she met Kelly's gaze.

"What's wrong? I haven't really talked to you in awhile so tell me what's up?" Kelly asked. May looked to the side as her grip on her necklace tightened.

"The lame excuse for a human being…" she muttered. Kelly grunted as she picked up her backpack and slung it over her shoulder.

"Why am I not surprised?" Kelly rolled her eyes. "What happened this time?" she asked as they came upon their destination, their first hour class.

"Yesterday he asked me to meet him at our special place and-" she was about to continue when Kelly interrupted.

"That was your first mistake May. Why would you agree to something like that when you know nothing good would come of it?" she responded in a disappointed tone.

"Not everybody is as smart as you Kelly." May snapped as she glared at her friend. Kelly was taken aback at May's sharpness. "Sorry…I just…he's got me so mixed up." She admitted.

"No, it's alright. Continue." May sighed and went out with the story.

"So I met him there and we talked for a bit and then he kissed me." She paused at looked at Kelly's annoyed expression. "And I kissed him back." Kelly looked at May in shock.

"You what? But May how-" May interrupted this time.

"I know. It goes against everything I've ever said and I still don't know why I did it. But Kells, he thinks he's in love with me." May said as she clutched her necklace again.

"In love? Wow May…I mean wow. I don't know what to tell you." She frowned as she hugged her friend. "Is that what you and this Ash person talked about?" she asked. May nodded as they drew back from the embrace.

"Yeah…I just wish I knew what to do…" she buried her head in her hands as the first bell rang for classes to start.

.-.

"So…you are the infamous Ash, huh?" Kelly spat as she glared at the raven-haired boy.

"Uh yeah. And you're the infamous Kelly. Nice to meet you." He laughed nervously and scratched behind his head.

"Heh. I approve May. Probably the only guy friend of yours that I actually like." She smiled as she looked over to the other side of the cafeteria to see a guy with spiky brown hair down on one knee as if he were proposing. A few seconds later, he was down on the ground holding his throbbing cheek. May and Kelly sighed.

"Again. The only guy friend of yours that I like." She smiled. "I'll see you guys later. And tell Brock he needs to get a life!" she yelled as she headed up the stairs of the cafeteria.

"Okay, bye Kelly!" May said as she and Ash went over to where Brock had managed to pick himself up.

"Hi Brock!" May greeted the older guy as he regained his composure and smiled at the brunette.

"Oh, hey May. Please tell you didn't see what just happened." He pleaded with her as he rubbed his cheek, prompting Ash to laugh.

"Uh, I wish I could. By the way, Kelly said to get a life." She said with a life.

"Like I haven't heard that before." He rolled his eyes. [**A/N:** Can he do that?] He then noticed Ash standing there. "Who's your friend?" he asked.

"This is Ash. Ash, this is Brock." She introduced them to each other.

"Hey there Ash, good to meet you. So May, what's this talk I hear about you & Gary?" he asked as they sat down at an empty table.

"What? What did you hear?" she asked as she took a sip of her apple juice. Ash kind of zoned out as the two friends talk amongst themselves.

'_Hmm…I wonder what it's like to have a childhood crush. It must be kind of…weird…and awkward. Awkward…that's a funny sounding word…heh, awk…ward. Ha! That's funny! Man I really gotta stop zoning out like this…' _he shook his head and turned his attention back to his friends.

"Communication is the key. So try talking to him. You know, like a normal conversation. God knows how long it's been since you guys have had one of those." He laughed causing May to smile as Ash reentered the talk.

"You're right, I think I'll try it." She said while she ate her lunch. She stole a glance to the right and noticed a flash of brown go up the stairs. She paused and shook her head. _'I'll have plenty of time to talk to him when I go home today.'_ She said as she took a bite out of her sandwich.

.-.

May walked down the sidewalk of her school, on her way home after a long day of work. She took each step slowly, as if she were waiting for something or someone. She sighed once she reached the door of her house and opened it. No one was home. No surprise there. Both of her parents worked and her brother got out of school about thirty minutes after her. She dropped her briefcase off in the kitchen and got a snack out of the fridge before going into her room and lying down on her bed.

She looked about her room and her eyes landed on her bookshelf. She got up and walked over to it, gazing at her large collection of books.

"And I don't even like reading…" she whispered to herself as she picked up a book from the shelf and read the title. _Listen to Your Heart_ by Fern Michaels. The title was written in metallic purple lettering along with the author's name. The background picture was of a white porch surrounded by beautiful flowers with a cobblestone walkway leading up to a small bench, also surrounded by flowers.

She was about to open the book when there was a gentle tap on her window. As the alarming sound, she dropped the book and held a hand close to her heart. She looked out the window and saw the back of her neighbor, leaning against it. With a sigh, she walked over to the window and opened it up. After, she backed away allowing him the boy to enter. On her face was an uneasy frown as he looked up at her with his dazzling green eyes.

"Hi…May…" he spoke in a somewhat nervous tone.

"Hey…" she replied. Her gaze was focused on the ground, trying her hardest to avoid his stare.

"Listen May I…I don't know what happened yesterday. I just felt like I was losing what little piece of you I had so…" his voice drifting off as he found an empty spot to sit on, her bed.

"You decided to try and save it by kissing me?" she finished his sentence. Her expression was bland, showing no emotion.

"But you kissed back." He retaliated with a small smirk. She sighed and sat down next him with her hands folded in her lap.

"I know and I'm so confused right now." She said.

"What are you so confused about?" he asked, gaining her attention with his tone of voice.

"My feelings! All this time I had thought that we would never be together. That I could never bring myself to like you as more than a friend. That that's all you'd ever be to me…a friend. But now…I don't know what to think now." She paused. "And it's all because of you and your stupid kiss!" she pushed him in the shoulder and stood up from the bed.

"What?" he said as he watched her enraged expression.

"Why'd you have to ruin it Gary? Why? Everything was going just fine until you spilled your feelings on me." She finished.

"Heh, that's funny. You think everything was going fine huh? Well everything's not fine. You know why? For years I've been rejected by the only girl I really care about and the one time that I tell her how I really feel, she won't even look at me the same. Oh yeah May, everything's fine." He resorted in standing up also with his hands in his pockets, refusing to look at her.

"Don't try to make yourself the victim." She spat.

"And who's the victim? You? Sure. You're the one causing all of this confusion for yourself." She was taken aback by his comment.

"Wha….what do you mean?" she asked.

"You're too stubborn to admit to yourself that maybe, just maybe, you feel the same way that I do. Just let it go." He grabbed her by the shoulders and looked her straight in the eye.

"Gary…I…I don't know…" she looked to the side.

"Answer me this May. Have you ever thought of me as more than a friend?" his gaze dropped as he waited for her reply.

"…Once or twice…" she whispered.

"Then what's holding you back?" he asked, shaking her slightly.

"Nothing…I'm just scared." She put her arms around herself.

"Scared of what?" he asked, releasing her.

"I'm scared that I'll get hurt…emotionally. And that we won't be friends anymore if something goes wrong." She admitted.

"Everyone has those thoughts. I've thought about it a million times. Even though that's the last thing I want to happen, I'm willing to risk it all just to be with you." He cupped her chin in his hand and smiled down on her. "Plus you should know by now that I'll never to do anything to hurt you." She nodded and grabbed her necklace.

"I know. I just don't want to be like all those other girls…" she whispered.

"And you won't because the difference between them and you is that I'm willing to say that you are my best friend." She looked up in his eyes and saw honesty shining in them.

"You're serious, aren't you?" she asked with a smile.

"As serious as I'll ever be." He shrugged and let his arms fall down to his sides. She sighed and let go of her necklace. She looked up at the boy who wore a smile also. After hesitating, she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

"O…okay then." He was surprised but quickly gave into the hug and smiled.

'_Finally!'_ he shouted to himself as they shared the embraced.

**Kris: Whoosh! Such a long chapter!**

**AJ: Oh yeah…can you breathe?**

**Mikey: Yeah! Thanks for your concern AJ.**

**AJ: Uh…I wasn't-**

**May: Don't ruin it for him honey.**

**Ash: So…how come Gary is never in these things?**

**Gary: What?**

**May: Gary!  
**

**Kris: Gary!**

**AJ&Mikey: Gary!**

**Ash: Why does everybody get excited when he comes around?**

**Gary: Simple Ashy boy, I'm a jerk and everybody loves me.**

**All: Yay!**

**Kris; Not really…anyway I might lose some support due to this chapter but this is not the end! But I'm not saying that this is the only brunetteshipping in the story but-**

**AJ: Then what are you saying?**

**Kris:…I really don't know…Anyway, review!**

**All: Review! 4 Sure!**

**R&R**


	7. Chapter 7

**Kris: Hi! Hi! Everyone! Sorry for the wait!**

**AJ: Cheese!**

**Kris: Hey! That's my thing!**

**Mikey: Ugh…don't make me dizzy…_.**

**May: What's wrong with him?**

**Gary: He's your son; you figure it out.**

**May: …Jerk…**

**Ash: I second that…**

**Gary: Whatever Ashy loser boy.**

**May: Ashy loser boy? How lame are you?**

**Kris: Burn! I don't own pokémon.**

**All: Start the party!**

What If

Chapter 7

"At least try it on!" a man, about the age of 45 yelled loudly.

"You try it on!" his teenage daughter shouted back.

"Don't be that way. It's just a dress." Kelly rolled her eyes as she folded her arms and stared at her clueless father.

"It's an ugly dress. Floral patterns? Are you kidding me?" he looked at her strangely and then back at the dress clutched in his hand. As he held by the hanger he admired the green and pink and purple designs on the long dress.

"What's wrong with floral patterns? My mother used to wear them all the time." He asked with confusion.

"I'm not your mother." She gave a fake smirk and walked away to go down the hallway of the small apartment. It was very casual with various paintings and hanging up and a few decorations such as plants and other knickknacks.

The walls were a cream color with burgundy colored carpet and beige tiling in the kitchen and bathroom. In the main part of the apartment there sat a large couch and one armchair to match. There was also a fairly sized TV along with a coffee table with a variety of scattered magazines on it.

Once she reached the last room in the hallway, she went inside. She slammed the door shut and walked over to her desk where her math book laid open to chapter five. She blew up her bangs and sat down to finish her homework. As soon as she picked up her pencil, the telephone rang. With a sigh, she picked up the purple receiver and brought it close to her ear.

"Hello?" she answered as she looked at her chipping red nail polish.

"…_Kells?"_ the voice on the other end called.

"May?" she asked in a confused voice.

"_Yeah…it's me. Listen we need to talk. You got a minute?"_ She asked.

"Uh," Kelly looked at her watch and sucked her teeth in. "Sure. So what's up?" she asked as she rested her elbows on the desk.

"…" There was silence on the other end that put Kelly on an uncomfortable edge. She shifted in her seat weirdly and held the phone tightly in her hand.

"May? You still there?" she asked in a hurried tone.

"_Y-yeah…I'm still here…"_ her voice sounded so drained. As if she were afraid to talk to Kelly. As if she wasn't focused. _"I…"_ she started. Kelly wore an odd expression on her face as she tried to figure out why May was acting so strange. Then it hit her.

"May. Please tell me you didn't." Kelly urged her as she sat on the edge of her seat, gripping her pencil tightly waiting for May's response. There was silence on the other end once more. But Kelly took the hint once she heard that deflated sigh elate from May's end. Kelly scowled and put the phone done on the table and ran her fingers through her hair and she exhaled loudly, slightly hoping that the brunette heard her. There was only one thing that made her sick to her stomach…

And that was Gary.

.-.

"Oh come on Kelly! Give me a chance to explain!" May yelled as she chased her obviously upset friend down the crowded hallway.

"A chance to explain what? How that womanizer swept you off your feet? Please, spare me the details." She held up her hand and continued down the hallway. May sighed as she watched her storm down the halls with angry igniting in each step. She stood in there, rooted in her spot as she watched her slowly fade away. With her shoulders slumped, she watched down the other end of the hall.

'_Why didn't I think about this before? Kelly hates Gary…with a passion.'_ May said to herself as she came upon her locker. She twisted the lock and opened to toss her backpack inside. She looked inside of her locker at all of her pictures pasted on the door.

There were pictures of her, Kelly, Brianna, even some of her and Gary when they were younger. Then there was that picture of Kelly and Gary. Kelly with a glare and Gary with a hopeless expression. It made her laugh as she remembered the event that took place in the picture.

FLASHBACK

_The day was cool but the sun still shone brightly without a cloud to block its view of the earth. As the day went on, a trio of children are seen in a neighborhood park doing what most six-year olds do. Play. Out of the three, there was one boy and two girls. They were currently engaged in a rousing game of tag with the boy being 'it.'_

"_Teehee! You're not gonna catch us Gary!" one of the girls taunted as she ran away from the boy._

"_Yeah, you're way too slow!" The other girl chimed in. Both girls giggled endlessly causing the boy to get angry._

"_No fair! There's two of you!" The boy pouted. At that, he stopped running and crossed his arms with an upset look on his face. This caused one of the girls to stop and turn around._

_She stood about three feet of the ground. Her attire included a small pink dress with white frills along the collar that stopped just above the collar. On her feet were off-white dress shoes with white frilly socks to match. Her chestnut hair was neatly styled with two large pieces delicately sticking out on both sides of her petite face, the bangs combed down. She looked over at the pouting boy, her bright blue eyes focusing on his hard expression as she slowly walked over to him._

"_What's the matter, Gary?" she asked in a cute face, stopping about two feet in front of him. He stubbornly turned to look at her and dropped his arms down to his sides._

"_I don't like being it…" he admitted shamefully. His dark brown hair covered his eyes ever so slightly, prevented the young girl was seeing the evident glistening that was unwillingly forming in his left eye._

"_It's okay, we can play something else." She said with a hopeful expression. She grasped his small hand in her own and ran over to the other girl who tapped her foot impatiently on the ground, shooting a small glare at the boy. Her arms were defiantly crossed over her jean overalls with the sleeves of her purple undershirt rolled up to her elbows and her black tiny converse kicking up dust every now and then._

"_Why do we have to change our game just cause he's being a baby?" she protested once the two made over to her._

"_I am not being a baby!" he yelled in his defense_

"_Wah! I don't like tag!" she imitating him by pretending to cry and wipe her eyes._

"_Stop it!" he shot forward with intentions to get back at her but the other girl stopped him by pulling on the collar of his green t-shirt with a frightened expression in her eyes._

"_Please don't." she pleaded with him. His temper softened as he felt shame wash over him again._

"_Sorry May…" he mumbled as she let go of his sleeve. He kicked a lone rock on the ground and shuffled it between his feet._

"_Kelly, be nice!" May shouted to the other girl in Gary's defense. She gaped at her comment and turned away with a 'hmph.' May giggled as she grabbed both of their hands and tugged them along through the playground._

END OF FLASHBACK

She smiled down on the old picture as she placed it back on the door of her locker and picked up her biology text book before tossing her history book down and closing it shut. She gave a sigh as she started down the hallway toward the west end of building where her first hour was. As she approached the stairs she began to zone out.

'_Will I lose my friendship with Kelly because of this?'_ she thought to herself. _'I've known Gary longer…but still…'_ she brought her right hand to her mouth and began to absentmindedly nibble at her nails. Her biting was interrupting by a hand grabbing her wrist and pulling it away.

"Hey!" she yelled in protest but her expression softened once she realized who it was.

"You know, biting your nails is a horrible habit." The boy commented. She playfully swatted him on the arm and laughed slightly.

"Hey Ash, what's up?" she asked as he joined her in walking down the stairs.

"Nothing much. So…when were you planning on telling me?" he asked as he usual happy expression turned to that of a dark one. May fell silent at his question and reintroduced her nails to her teeth once more.

"Er…I don't know…" she whispered softly.

"Don't worry yourself over it, I just like to be informed…you know?" he asked, turning to face her. She nodded with a smile.

"Again with the nail biting? Someone get the tape!" he joked as she shoved him lightly. She slowly brought her hand to her side and continued on with her walk to her next class. Of course he was following her and she just had to get used to the fact that they had every class together.

"Did you study for the history test?" she asked as she shifted her backpack slightly on his shoulder.

"No, but I did study with the history _quiz_." He smirked.

"There's a quiz too?" she gasped. He laughed loudly as she stared at him in shock.

"No genius, it's not a test it's a quiz!" he exclaimed. May grunted and stormed past him. "Oh come on! I'm kidding." He said as he grabbed her by her forearm and pulled her back only to be welcome by her icy glare.

"That wasn't funny." She stated simply. He sighed and let go of her arm and just stared at her. "Er…what's wrong?" she asked. She quickly snapped her fingers in front of his face to snap him out of his trance.

"What? Oh yeah, hey did you hear about a party next Friday?" he asked as they began their stroll down the hallway.

"No, I didn't. Why? Is there going to be one next Friday?" she asked as they entered the half empty Algebra class.

"I think so. I got this invitation today." He explained as he sat his backpack down next to the desk and proceeded to sit on said desk.

"Hmm…Gary'll probably get invited. Are you going?" she said as she sat next to him on the adjacent desk.

"Yeah, I mean I still don't really know anybody so it'll be a good chance to mingle and stuff." He said. "Would you like to go?" he asked. She laughed at his offer and sat down in her chair.

"Sure." She beamed.

**Kris: Weird way to end, I know. Anyway, sorry about its shortness!**

**May: Mikey is dizzy!**

**Kris: Er…what do you want me to do about it?**

**Ash: Tell him to run in a straight line.**

**Gary: You know all about being dizzy huh?**

**Ash: Shut up, lame-o!**

**All: Meow!**

**Kris: Er…**

**AJ: Cheese!**

**Kris: NO! That's MY thing!**

**AJ: …meow?**

**Kris: NO!**

**All: Review! 4 Sure!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Kris: Hi! Hi! Everyone! Guess what? I'm wearing my glasses!**

**May: Now you look even more nerdy.**

**Kris: Hey! I do not look nerdy!**

**Ash: Said the nerd…**

**Kris: Both of you can go kick rocks!**

**All: -gasp-**

**Kris: Er…what?**

**May: Not in front of the children!**

**AJ: But she's a child too!**

**Kris: I beg to differ my fictional friend…I'm older than you! You're merely ten!**

**Mikey: Bootay!**

**Ash: Cheeks! KrystalClear101 does not own pokémon.**

**Kris: You guys are weird…**

**All: Start the party!**

What If

Chapter 8

"So are you sure that you're going to be fine by yourself?" the over-protective father asked as he stood at the door with his wife and adolescent son.

"Of course. This isn't the first time you've left me here and it sure won't be the last. I'll be fine." She beamed as she helped her family gather all of the luggage into the car.

"But this sure is a lot of luggage for three days isn't it?" she asked as she inspected it.

"It all belongs to your mother." The older man sighed.

"The emergency numbers and the hotel number that we're going to be staying at is on the fridge. You have our cell phone numbers right?" her mother asked worriedly as the Maple family all stood outside.

"I sure do." May beamed.

"You make sure you call of if something happens and no more than two friends over at a time. No boys unless its Gary or Delia's son, Ash okay?" she warned. May playfully rolled her eyes as her mother went down the long list of 'to do's.'

"Alright, alright. I've had this lecture so many times its like I've memorized it. Don't worry, everything's going to be just fine. You guys have a good trip. Don't do anything I wouldn't do and come back safely, all right? I'll be right here waiting when you get back." She explained.

"Okay. We should be back Monday afternoon, but if that changes we'll call." Norman said before giving his daughter a small hug and getting into the car.

"Bye sweetie!" Caroline hugged her and also got in the car.

"You are so lucky. You get the house to yourself for three whole days." Max grimaced as May messed up his hair and laughed.

"And you get to stay in Saffron for three days. Doesn't seem all that bad does it? See you little bro." she waved him off as he too got into the small red car.

"Bye guys!" she walked back onto the porch and waved her family off as the car backed out of the driveway and onto the street where it slowly began to disappear on the horizon, with the sun closely setting in the distance. May sighed before she entered her now empty house.

'_It's a Friday evening. I have the house all to myself. No parents. No little brother. Just me.'_ She smiled as she plopped down on the couch. _'With absolutely nothing to do.'_ With a push of a button the TV came on and she began flipping through the channels.

"Surely there must be something good on TV." But sadly, there wasn't. She grunted and turned the TV off and walked into her room and picked up her cell phone.

"Who shall I bother?" she thought aloud as she scrolled through her phone book coming upon name after name. But with a sigh of defeat she tossed her phone to the side and turned over on her back and began to stare at the ceiling. She blew up her bangs and furrowed her eyebrows.

_~Guu~_

The was a slightly audible rumbling coming from her abdomen. She blushed lightly as she clutched her stomach and reached for her phone again. She beamed brightly as she dialed the oh-so-familiar number and held the cellular device to her ear, being welcomed by the ringing sound.

"Time for take-out."

.-.

"This could possibly be the longest fifteen minutes of my life!" May screamed while banging her head against the front window waiting impatiently for the take-out delivery guy to finally arrive.

"Ugh!" she huffed as she walked into the kitchen and opened up the steel doors of the refrigerator. The kitchen wasn't all that big, there was just a counter top with a stove and oven combo, a fridge, and a microwave and blender on the counter. The cabinets were made from mahogany wood with a glossy finish on them. There was an off white ceiling fan on the ceiling and tan colored ceramic tiles on the floor.

She looked inside and fished out a bottle of water and closed the door. She began to lean on it while the refreshing cold water made its way down her throat. She exhaled as she capped the bottle. Once she set it down on the counter top were the sink was, the door bell rang. With excitement, she snatched the money from the counter and bounded to the door. She unlocked it and opened it up quickly.

"Took you long enough." She spat as she extended her hand out to give the delivery person the money. But she came to realize that it wasn't the delivery person who had stopped by.

"You were expecting me?" the sly voice made its way to her ears. With her mouth wide-open and her eyes bulging, May retreated her hand back and stared at the boy standing in the frame of her front door.

"Gary? I…er…no I wasn't expecting you." She half-way giggled as she stepped aside so he could enter.

"Since when do you use the front door?" She asked as she shut the door and he took a seat on the couch.

"Since I started acting more gentlemen like." He smirked. She laughed and laid the money back on the counter, trying to mask her disappointment. Soon she was sitting next to him on the couch.

"You don't seem happy to see me. Did I come at a bad time or something?" he asked as he snaked an arm around her shoulders and looked at her strangely.

"No, but I was sort of hoping that you were the take-out guy." She admitted.

"I could be the take-out guy if you wanted me to." He laughed as he began to tickle her.

"Hehe…stop it." She protested as he moved in and planted a kiss on her cheek. She giggled lightly as a wave of discomfort washed over her. He got up and walked over to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge. While he was gone, May began to feel awkward.

'_Why did that kiss feel so…wrong? It didn't feel wrong on Wednesday. So why now?'_ slowly she brought her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on them. Soon, she felt his body next to hers and she heard the sound of the crinkling water bottle as he set it down on the coffee table.

"So…" he started. "Where's the rest of the family?"

"They went to Saffron for the three day weekend." She explained. He nodded and turned his attention to the blank screen on the TV.

"I see. So the future Mrs. Oak is home alone." He snickered and he pulled her closer.

"Hey now, we haven't been going out a full day yet and you're already talking future Mrs? Slow down." She laughed lightly.

"I know, I know. I just get so excited!" he grinned widely and hugged her tightly.

"Excited about what?" she chuckled as she squirmed out of his grip.

"Excited about you! Every time I see you I just get this…weird feeling in my stomach and it makes me anxious." He admitted with a light blush on his cheeks. May was startled by his comment as a small smile made its way to her lips. She was about to say something when the doorbell rang.

"Hopefully, this is the take-out guy." She sighed and got up from the couch, grabbing the money off of the counter. She opened the door to be welcome by a teenage boy with tons of acne, wearing a red cap with a blue letterman jacket, carrying a large brown bag.

"Here's your order ma'am." He said in a monotone voice as he handed her the bag. May took it in her arms and handed him the money.

"Have a good night." He gave a fake smile and stuffed the money in the pockets of his dark jeans and took off down the porch. May closed to door behind her and turned around, only to have Gary take the bag out of her hands and drop it off on the counter.

May gasped in surprise causing a wry smile to appear on his face as he began to unload the contents of the bag. There were three large containers of noodles, two containers of chicken fried rice, a bag of eggrolls, three sets of chopsticks, and a handful of fortune cookies.

"You should know by now not to sneak up on me like that." She said as she walked around the counter towards the cabinet to get two cups.

"I do know, but I still like to break the rules every now and then. You never cease to surprise me with your eating habits." He laughed and opened one of the boxes.

"Hey! Who told you to open up my chicken ramen?" she growled at him.

"…I did." He glared back at her and broke the chopsticks in half.

"Oh, you are asking for it." She smirked and snatched the box away from him before he could eat any of it. He gasped and looked up at her mischievous blue eyes.

"This means war." He gave a smirk of his own.

.-.

There was a loud sound emitting from the walls of the Maple home on this late Friday night. The two teens were busy cleaning up the house that is as of now, covered in noodles and rice. May maneuvered the hand vacuum in and out of corners as Gary worked diligently sweeping the kitchen floor and neatly pushing it into the dustpan to be thrown away.

"You see what you started?" he said as he slumped against the adjacent wall and glared at the young brunette. Upon hearing his comment, May turned off the hand vacuum and turned around to face him.

"What I started? You were going to eat my ramen." She spat.

"There was no way you were going to eat all FIVE boxes, ramen or not. You could've have spared one for me." He pointed to himself.

"I am very selfish when it comes to my ramen." She pouted and turned her back away from him. A few seconds later, she felt his arms snaking around her waist.

"It doesn't show." He whispered in her ear before planting a soft kiss on her bare neck. His warm lips sent shivers down her spine as his grip gently tightened around her midsection. Hesitantly, she closed her eyes and slowly melted into his touch.

"Gary…" she whispered as he continued with the kisses.

"Yes?" he asked.

"If you give me a hickey, I'll be forced to hurt you." He laughed softly as he unwrapped his arms and walked back to a pile of rice just calling his name. He gave a sigh as May turned around to watch him. She soon found herself in a fit of uncontrollable laughter. Gary turned to question her sudden burst of giggles, which caused her to laugh even more.

"What are you laughing at?" he asked in a somewhat defensive tone. She gestured for him to walk over to her. Feeling a bit confused, he made his way over to the laughing girl and stared at her strangely.

She got up on her toes and pulled a lone piece of noodle out of his brown hair. Once it was out, she showed it to him and began to laugh again. At first his expression was the same but it soon turned into a smile. But the once soft welcoming smile turned into that of a creepy uninviting smile.

"Er…Gary?" she started, splitting the syllables in his name as she slowly backed up.

"Hold still." He whispered as he picked tiny bits of rice out of her and lazily threw it over his shoulder. He brought his hand down to caress her cheek lightly. May felt her face heating up as he scooted a tad closer. He kissed her lightly before pulling back and smiling at her. It was a short kiss but enough to satisfy him. May was a little less enthusiastic. She got that feeling in her mind again; that feeling of discomfort that flashed over her. It might've been for just a second, but it still bothered her.

"It's getting late. I don't what my parents to get any ideas." He grinned and started walking towards the door with May close behind him. She lightly touched her lips while he had his back turned to her.

"Okay then. Will I see you tomorrow then?" she asked, somewhat hopefully. He turned around and hugged her tightly. She gasped in shock and hugged him back. He released her from the embrace and smirked widely at the girl as he gripped the door knob behind him.

"Maybe." He said as if her were brushing the comment off.

"Oh come on, don't leave me hanging like that." She playfully shoved him as he opened up the door and proceeded to step outside.

"Heh. Fine. I'll be here in the morning. Sleep tight!" he said in a sing song voice before he began walking back to his own house. May watched him leave until he coolly waved at her from his front yard. She giggled lightly before shutting her door and leaning against it.

"Home alone…again." She whispered as she slid down the door and rubbed the spot on her neck where Gary had kissed her.

'_What was so different about it? Why did it feel so wrong and uncomfortable? It felt…different the first time he did…but now…I almost dread it.' _She shivered as she reminisced the feeling of his warm lips on her own. Why _did_ it feel so wrong?

**Kris: End of chapter.**

**Gary: Hehehe…**

**May: Why are you so happy?**

**Ash: Grrr…**

**Kris: And why are you so mad?**

**Gary: Hehehe…**

**Ash: Grrr…**

**Kris&May: Boys! And they think we're confusing!**

**Kris: Anyway, I just had a burst of non-writers-blockiness.**

**All: Cool!**

**Kris: So…keep your eyes peeled for the next chapter!**

**May: Er…how can they do that?**

**Kris: It's an expression.**

**May: Oh…**

**All: Review! 4 Sure!**

**R&R**


	9. Chapter 9

**Kris: Hi! Hi! Everyone! Don't be afraid, for I am the authoress!**

**All: All hail the mighty authoress!**

**Ash: Ha-zah!**

**May: Er… what are you doing this time?**

**All: All hail the mighty authoress!**

**May: Why?**

**All: …All hail Plankton!**

**Kris: What?**

**All: All hail…KrystalClear101 does not own pokémon, cherrios, or poptarts.**

**Kris: Er…start the party.**

What if

Chapter 9

"Mmm…go away!" May mumbled sleepily as she covered her head with her pillow in order to block out the incoming sunlight of the morning.

When she didn't hear a smart aleck reply, she lifted her head to realize that no one was there. She was somewhat surprised to know that her neighbor/boyfriend hadn't snuck into her room yet.

"Maybe I got up too early…" she said as she reached for her clock, which read 9:23. She shrugged and sat up in her bed and ran a stiff hand through her hair before getting out of bed and reaching for her robe, hanging on the door.

Once it was tied securely around her body, she opened up her door to be met by the sounds of a television. At first she shrugged it off a bit.

'_I must've left it on last night.'_ She said to herself as she continued to walk down the hallway. But she soon heard laughter.

'_Oh my god! Someone's in here!'_ she shrieked to herself before slowly tiptoeing into the main part of the house where, sure enough, someone was sitting on her couch watching TV. She gave a short sigh of relieve but it soon turned into anger once she realized who it was that was actually in her house.

"Gary Oak! What the heck?" she screamed at the top of her lungs, startling the boy.

"What? Why are you yelling?" he yelled back, albeit frightened.

"You can't just…just…" she stuttered as she began to scratch her head.

"I can't just what? Watch TV? I don't think that's against the law, May." he chuckled as he turned his attention back to the show he was watching.

"You know what I mean. You can't just walk into someone's house and take over. That's like breaking and entering." She argued.

"Technically, I only entered. I didn't break anything." He replied. May gave a short huff before walking over to the kitchen.

"You broke the rules Oak. Now…" she gave a pause as she opened up the refrigerator door and looked inside. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave." She mumbled.

"And why is that? I haven't even had breakfast yet." He protested.

"Simple. There is no breakfast to eat and I need to go to the store. And I am certainly not leaving you at my house…" she paused as he turned around to look at her strangely.

"Alone." She smirked and closed the fridge door and made her way over to the front door where she opened it up.

"Aw, but May darling." He pleaded.

"Nope. Don't try that May darling thing with me. It didn't work before and it's not going to work now. Why don't you have your mom cook you breakfast or…here's a thought…why don't you do it yourself. You know, accomplish something." She grinned widely. He slumped and walked over to the door.

"You know, you'd be like super evil…if you weren't so cute." He smiled and messed up her already disgruntled bed head.

"Ha ha, flattery will get you no where but out that door. I'll come over when I get back." She pushed him out the door.

"Hey! Can I come with?" he asked hopefully.

"Oh no! You plus me in a store equals not good. I said I'll come over, isn't that enough for you?" she impatiently shifted her weight on the door. He shrugged and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"No." she grunted and slowly brought her arms up.

"Come here." She smiled. He looked at her with a dull expression as she stupidly held her arms open.

"Are you serious?" he gave her a raised eyebrow as if she were joking.

"Yes, I'm serious, now come here!" she said with more force this time. He gave a sigh and took a step forward. She hugged him tightly and let go.

"There, all better. Now leave!" she gave him a small push and shut the door before he could protest. She laughed softly and rested her back on the door but her relaxed state soon turned into a panicked one as she rushed to her room.

"Oh no you don't!" she shouted as she closed her window and locked it before he could enter again. She then mouthed the words 'Go home.' He stuck out his tongue and made his way back to his own house, therefore following her instructions.

.-.

For May, the trip to the local store wasn't a long one by foot and it was even shorter by car. But despite the time difference, she chose to walk. After shooing Gary out of her house, she took a quick shower and put on some clean clothes. To her, it felt good to get out of her usual school uniform and wear something different. So today, she chose to wear a neon pink tee, gray sweatpants, and a pair of pink converse.

Once she was all dressed, she grabbed her red handbag and bounded for the door with her house keys stuffed loosely in her pants pocket. After she had locked the door she started down the path to the driveway and onto the sidewalk. As she passed the Oak residence, thoughts were crossing her mind and she walked on almost absentmindedly.

'_I wonder why Kelly doesn't like Gary. I mean I know they never got along when we were little but she should've grown out of that by now, right?'_ She thought as she came upon the crosswalk. She pressed the red button on the light post and waited for her turn to cross the street.

'_But even so, I'd still like to find out what her problem is with him…maybe I should call her…'_ she decided once she was safely across the street. Once the store was in clear sight, she took her red cellular device out of her pocket and dialed Kelly's phone number, or what she thought was Kelly's phone number.

RING…RING…

"_Hello?" _a voice answered.

"Ash?" May answered with confusion. _'Why does he have Kelly's phone?'_

"_Er…May? Hey! What's up?" _he asked cheerfully.

"Oh…uh nothing. Why do you have Kelly's phone?" she asked with a confused tone.

"_What? I don't have Kelly's phone. Are you sure that you didn't dial the wrong number or something?" _he replied.

"I don't know. I probably did. Anyway, I might as well talk to you then." She laughed.

"_Heh, yeah. So what are you doing today…or this weekend?"_ he asked.

"Well, nothing I guess. My family took a trip to Saffron for the weekend but I decided to stay here and hold the fort down." She said, waiting for his response.

"_Somebody's gotta do it, right?"_ he laughed. _"So you're home alone. Man, I don't know how many times that's happened to me."_ He added.

"Tell me about it. So what are you doing? Got any plans?" she asked. She began walking through the parking lot of the store while looking around, making sure there were no cars coming.

"_Nothing. I'll probably be at home the whole weekend." _He responded.

"Oh. Well aren't we living life? Heh, guess where I am?" she asked.

"_Where?" _he asked.

"Hello? I said guess." She taunted him.

"_I don't know…at home?"_ he started.

"Nope. Guess again." She laughed as she walked through the sliding doors and grabbed one of the metal carts and dropped her bag in the front part.

"_Er…Gary's house?"_ he joked.

"…no. Guess again." She answered again with slight irritation in her voice.

"_I don't know May. The Mall?"_ he asked again

"No, but you're getting warmer!" she said in a singsong voice. She slowly pushed the cart down the aisle and began putting certain things inside of the cart.

"_Hold on."_ He answered almost in a whisper.

May held the phone up by her ear as she waited for Ash's reply. Soon she found herself down the breakfast aisle where the dry cereal was stacked neatly. She reached for a box of Cherrio's and a box of pop tarts. After she had gotten everything that she needed from that aisle, she waited a while for Ash to answer back.

"What is he doing…?" she whispered, as she looked around self-consciously.

"Here you are!" she heard a familiar voice behind her shouted.

"Eep!" she shrieked.

"Ha! That was funny. Hey May!" May turned around and there was Ash right behind her, holding his phone in his hand.

"Ash! Wha…That was so not funny. You could've given me a heart attack." She laughed as she ended the call on her phone and slid it back in her bag.

"Well, I found you!" he grinned sheepishly.

"Obviously. So, what brings you to the store today?" she asked as her heart beat lessened back to a normal speed and she pushed the cart along.

"Just picking up a few things for the weekend. What about you? Shopping?" he laughed as he looked in her cart.

"Well, there's no food in the house and a girl has gotta eat." She defended herself. He laughed as he grabbed a box of fruit snacks from the shelf and held it in his arms.

"I'm just getting snacks, I have food at home but I need something to eat in between meals. You know?" he explained.

"Yeah, I understand. So…you wanna check out anytime soon?" she asked with a hint of humor in her voice.

"What?" He looked at her with a confused expression. He had failed to notice that they had already made their way to the check out lanes.

"Oh! Yeah…" he scratched behind his head and put his things on the counter.

.-.

The evening pressed on as the two teenagers walked down the street randomly eating popsicles along the way. May carried half of the groceries in one hand while Ash carried the other half in his other. They passed building after building and even a park with several children laughing and playing.

"So how old are you?" Ash asked as he happily ate his cherry flavored popsicle. May continued licking her own lemon flavored one.

"I'm fifteen, but my birthday is on Thursday." She said.

"Wow, young one." He teased. May pursed her lips and glared at him playfully.

"Don't laugh. It's not funny." She argued. He laughed even more.

"Are you going to do anything special?" he asked. Again, she pondered before answering.

"Eh, probably not. I'm not really a fan of birthday parties." She admitted.

"Why not?" he asked. She merely shrugged her shoulders and looked around the corner to see that her house was not that far away.

"Hey, were you planning on coming over my house or something?" she asked as she finished off the frozen treat. She kept the stick in her mouth as she waited for Ash's reply.

"No, not really. I didn't think I'd see you at the store." He admitted with a shrug. May's shoulders somewhat slumped. They made it to the sidewalk right in front of her house. She sighed loudly, causing Ash to stare at her.

"But I can help you put away the stuff you bought." He offered. At that, her expression changed as her pace quickened and they both made their way up the stairs to the house. May dug in her pocket for her keys. Once she fished them out, she stuck the key in the hole and turned it a few times before the lock clicked and the door opened slowly. They were welcomed by the cool breeze that came from inside.

"Just put them on the counter and then we can put them away." May explained as she sat the bags on the counter and Ash followed suit. May put her handbag on the counter as well. She then rushed over to the answering machine to check her messages.

"You have three new messages." The machine buzzed. "Message one: _"May? It's mom. I was just calling to check up on you to see how you were doing. Knowing you, you're probably at the store. Anyway, call me when you get this message, okay?"_ Message two: _"Hello. My name is Simon and I am from the organization of-_ Message deleted." May pressed the red button to delete it.

"Message three: _"You're not back from the store yet? Wow, you're really slow. Well when you get back, come over okay? Love you." _End of messages." May looked at the answering machine and blew up her bangs. Those last words made her uncomfortable.

"Love huh?" she whispered in a low voice. Ash stared at her from behind, waiting for her to react or at least to do something. Instead she just sat there, occasionally blowing up her bangs. Ash shrugged slightly and began to put the groceries away in the cabinets. At first it took him awhile to figure out where everything went but after searching around he successfully put everything in its place.

Soon everything was all put away and he was folding up all the bags and placing them on the counter. He heard May give a sigh as she turned around. She looked at the empty counter to see all of the groceries put away. Her initial reaction was to gape widely. She turned to the smirking boy and smirked herself.

"You are something else, you know that?" she said as she walked into the kitchen to inspect how Ash did in putting everything away.

"Mhmm…looks like you did a pretty good job of putting things away. Kudos to you Ashy." She said with a laugh.

"Ashy?" He looked at her with a confused expression.

"What? You don't like you're new nickname?" she asked with a hurt look on her face. Ash stared at her face for a while before sighing.

"It's fine." He said with a laugh.

"I'm gonna head on home now. Have a good rest of the weekend." He said while approaching the door. May frowned slightly. She followed him to the door to let him out.

"Awh, okay then. You have a good weekend too!" she exclaimed. Ash waved as he walked down the steps from her house. But he accidentally missed a step and began to fall. May watched in horror as he stumbled down the cobblestone steps.

"Oh my gosh! Are you all right?" May rushed down to the bottom of the stairs where Ash lay sprawled out in the driveway groaning and clutching his arm tightly.

"No." he groaned out. "Not really." She knelt down beside him to see what was ailing him. She noticed the extreme pressure he was putting on his left arm. She inspected it to see several bruises but nothing serious.

"It looks like you sprained your arm. Come on, we have to get you bandaged up." She explained. He nodded through clenched eyes as he struggled to stand up. A sharp pain shot through his back as he sat up. May helped him standing up and grabbing hold of his other arm and gently pulling him up.

"Thanks May." He said with a smile. May slightly blushed and nodded in return.

"You're welcome. Now let's go inside. The same thing happened to Max a few months back…" she explained as they slowly walked up the stairs to the front door. Unbeknownst to them, there were a pair of eyes watching their every movement and snarling ever so slightly.

**Kris: End of Chapter!**

**All: All hail Plankton!**

**Plankton: I win! I win!**

**Kris: Go away!**

**Plankton: Curse you Krystal! I shall steal the krabby patty formula!**

**Kris: I don't even have it!**

**May: Anyway, stayed tuned for the next chapter!**

**All: Review! 4 Sure!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Kris: Hi! Hi! Everyone!**

**AJ: Argh!**

**Mikey: Pirate?**

**AJ: Yargh!**

**Mikey: And I'm okay with that…**

**Kris: Argh! I am not ye owner of pokémon.**

**All: Start ye party! Argh!**

**May: You guys are so weird…**

What If

Chapter 10

To him, her house was huge. Much bigger than his own. It was to be expected though, for he lived in a house of two while she lived in a house of four with a much larger salary. But it didn't bother him one bit. In fact he still loved his 'new' home despite its miniscule size. It gave him a sense of comfort that there was no way he could get lost.

He sat in the main room of the house on a designer couch where a large TV sat in front of it with two smaller matching chairs set off to the sides. There was a small coffee table in front of the couch with an assortment of magazines spread around it and bits of rice and noodles scattered around it as well.

'_Why are there noodles and rice on the table?'_ he wondered to himself. He started to scratch his head but winced in pain once he realized that he was using his left arm.

"Does it still hurt?" May called from another part of the house.

'_Well…duh!'_ he snapped inside of his head, but shook the rude comment from his mind.

"Yeah." He yelled back. He sat there on the couch with a content expression on his face, but truth be told he was a bit mad. For one, he fell down the stairs, which was completely humiliating to say the least. Two, he fell down with a girl watching. And three, he ended up spraining his left arm, which hurt to no end, or so it seemed.

He sighed angrily and further slumped down into the couch. Lucky for him the couch with extremely comfortable and he didn't mind sitting there, waiting for her to return. He turned his head to the side when he heard footsteps coming from the hallway. He turned his head back forward once he assumed them to be May.

"You can watch some TV, if you want to." She told him. He didn't really want to though. He was more of a 'Get up and do the stuff they do on TV' type of guy.

"Okay, I got a cast here and some gauze, as well as a few lollipops if you're a good little patient." She smiled at the last comment. Ash looked a little less than enthusiastic.

"Er…are you sure you know what you're doing? And is that cast going to be big enough? Oh! And what kind of lollipops do you have?" he asked. May stared at him with a strange expression before laughing.

"Yes, I'm pretty sure I know what I'm doing. Yes, the cast is big enough. I forgot to mention that my dad sprained his arm while trying to help Max. And these are…er…just lollipops. Don't be picky now." She winked at him. He chuckled to himself and watched intently as she began to work on his arm.

"Now brace yourself, this might hurt a bit." She warned him. He looked at her strangely.

"Wha- Ow!" he screamed and reached for his arm. May slapped his hand causing him to recoil and glare at her.

"That hurt!" he shouted childishly.

"I warned you." She argued back.

"No you didn't. You said it might hurt, I need guarantees here. This is my arm we're talking about." He argued back. May pursed her lips at him and glared back.

"Well if you'd stop being such a baby about it maybe it wouldn't hurt so bad." She shot back and began wrapping gauze around his arm as he grumbled angrily. He turned away stubbornly and began staring at the door. He suddenly felt pressure around his forearm and heard a snap. And all of the sudden, the pain stopped.

"There, all done." She said, snapping her hands together. He looked at her before turning his attention to his arm.

"Thanks I- Purple? Why is it purple?" he asked in a shocked tone.

"That's the only color they had in my dad's size." She argued.

"Purple? You've got to be kidding me!" he shouted. May glared at him angrily as he continued to rant on about how he hated purple and how stupid it was. Finally, she had enough of it and unwrapped a lollipop and shoved it in his mouth before he could say anything else.

"Just in case you're wondering, the lollipop is red." She said with a fake smile and stood up from the couch, gathering all of her first-aid supplies. He growled at her and turned back to the door and began mumbling incoherent words.

"Flattery will get you nowhere but out that door, just ask Gary." She exclaimed from inside the kitchen. He snatched the lollipop out of his mouth.

"Who said I was flattering you?" he shouted back. She growled at him and stomped into the main room.

"What is your problem, huh?" she asked as she stood in front of him with her hands glued to her hips.

"Well let's see…first of all, my arm is sprained thanks to your stairs. It hurts thanks to your poor nursing skills. And my lollipop is all gone!" he shouted.

"Oh yeah? Well it's not my fault that you're too uncoordinated to not fall down the stairs. And yes, it's going to hurt when your arm gets put in a cast. And your lollipop is all gone because you suck!" she retorted with a smirk. For a few seconds it was completely silent, aside from their heavy breathing from yelling at one another. A small smile broke across Ash's face.

"I hate to admit it, but that was a good one May." He said. Soon, he began to laugh loudly. May was taken aback and she also began to laugh, taking a seat next to him, on his right side. The laughter died down after a few seconds and was reduced to a few giggles and chuckles after awhile.

"So what's this about you not liking birthday parties?" he asked as their laughter died down. There was another silence as she hesitated to answer.

'_I don't like talking about my birthday parties, especially after what happened that one year.'_ She said to herself. She turned her attention to his waiting expression. She was indifferent, she wanted to tell him. But a part of her was arguing, 'Don't do it!'

"I don't know if I want to tell you or not." She admitted truthfully.

"It's okay. I mean if it's a touchy subject, you don't have to tell me." He said with a smile. She smiled back and playfully punched him in the arm.

"Now what happened to the guy who was yelling at me about lollipops a few seconds ago?" she asked with a laugh. He shrugged lightly. She stared at him for a few seconds before speaking again.

"I'll tell you on one condition." She started.

"And what's that?" he asked.

"You have to let me lean on your shoulder. I find this couch to be extremely uncomfortable." She explained.

"Feel free. But I beg to differ. This couch is extremely comfortable." He argued.

"Heh, yeah just wait until you get up." She said with a laugh. She brought her head down to his shoulder and made herself comfortable.

"Story time." He whispered. She giggled lightly and began to explain.

"Before now, I had always liked birthday parties. You know, all your friends coming over and giving you presents and then that awesome cake where you only want to eat the frosting. It had always been like that until a couple years back when I turned twelve." She explained. He nodded in response.

"My twelfth birthday party was at my house, naturally. I had invited Kelly, Brianna, Brock, Gary, and a few other people from school." She looked down at her lap as she continued.

"That was one of the worst birthdays ever. After everyone left, Gary kept bothering me and bothering me. He was talking about how dumb my party was, how bad I looked in my dress and other crap that made me want to cry. When the jerk finally left, I _did_ cry. I was so upset because he had never treated my like that before." She paused.

"Little did I know that he was in early stages of boyhood when they insult the one that they like. As the years went by, the teasing got worse and worse, until I turned fifteen last year. I averted from my usual plans of partying at my house to going to see a scary movie. It was a good movie and I had invited all my close friends. And just like before, everything was going fine until the end." She paused again and gripped Ash's shirt tightly.

"What happened?" he asked, surprised at his low tone of voice.

"Everyone else had left and Gary and I were walking back from the theater. It was dark outside and we had to pass a lot of blocks to get home, but this wasn't the first time we had to walk home from the theater." She explained.

FLASHBACK

"_Did you like the movie?"_ _a somewhat younger version of Gary asked as he and May walked down the sidewalk to their respective homes._

"_Eh, it was okay. I didn't think it was scary though." She gave a shrug. He nodded in agreement. He looked over at her for a while before she felt his eyes on her and turned to face him._

"_What are you looking at?" she asked nervously. He stopped walking and continued to stare at her. She stopped walking as well and looked at him strangely, wondering why he was just looking at her._

"_Is something wrong?" she asked worriedly. Suddenly he grabbed her by her wrists and pulled her into a nearby alley. She gasped loudly and began to protest until he roughly pinned her against the wall of a building._

"_Gary, what are you-" He crashed his lips onto hers and began to kiss her full on the mouth. Her eyes widened in shock as the kiss continued. His lips tasted salty from the buttery popcorn he had eaten at the theater. His hands stayed at her sides where they held her arms in place. She tried to break free but he wouldn't let her._

_In her mind she was panicking. What the heck was he doing? Why was he kissing her, and so roughly? Why of all times on her birthday and in a dark alley at that? And why was it so uncomfortable? She had not imagined her first kiss to be this way. No girl imagines her first kiss to be in a dark alley and with her best guy friend whom she doesn't show affection for._

_After what seemed like hours, he finally pulled back and looked at her, panting. She was panting as well, but it was an angry pant. Her first action was to release herself from his grip on her and back away quickly._

"_What the heck was that all about?" she shouted angrily as she began to wipe her mouth. She waited for him to answer, but all he did was stand there and look at her. She was getting frustrated with him._

"_Would you stop staring and answer me already!?" she yelled again. His panting stopped but he continued to stare as if he were in a trance. She grunted angrily and turned around to continue her walk home. But he stopped her again._

"_Let go." She ordered. He shook his head and pulled her back, she was right in front of him, their faces just inches from each other. She could hear her heart beating in her ears and it was making this silence all the more sickening._

"_I like you, May." He whispered. She gaped at his response and let her arms fall limp at his touch._

"_What…" she mumbled out. He nodded his head and let go. She stood there stunned out of her mind, completely blocking out the sounds and things around her._

"_Things are going to be different from now on." Those were his last few words before he walked away, leaving her shocked._

END OF FLASHBACK

"He did that on your birthday?" Ash asked, shocked. May nodded slowly.

"After that, things _were_ different between us. He started acting different in school. Showing out, and saying that we were a couple and that's when all the rumors started." She gave a sigh.

"So why did you agree to go out with him?" he asked in a confused tone.

"Because, the last time he asked me out he seemed like he was his old self again. I had forgotten how cool of a guy he was before he started liking me." She explained. She gave out a sigh. She soon felt his arm around her shoulder and it surprised but comforted her.

"I'm sorry May." She heard him say. She smiled lightly and lifted her head from his shoulder.

"Thanks Ash. You don't know how easy it is to talk to you." She smiled sweetly. He shrugged.

"Don't mention it. It's the least I could do after you fixed up my arm for me." He held up his arm in response to her gratitude.

"Well I'm glad my poor nursing skills could be of good use to you." She replied with a smile. She got up from the couch and walked into the kitchen and began rummaging through the cabinets.

"I really hope you didn't mix your groceries with mine Ash." She said.

"If I did, I'll just make frequent visits to raid your kitchen." He joked. May pursed her lips and continued looking through the cabinets for something. She heard the couch creak loudly as he got up.

"You're right, that couch is uncomfortable." He rubbed his back sorely and entered the kitchen with her.

"I told you." She said in a sing-song voice. He stuck his tongue out at her and laughed lightly.

"Now about this whole birthday thing." He brought up the subject while cautiously leaning on the counter.

"I'm not having a party, a get together or whatever you want to call it, Ash. It's just not happening." She said with a smirk.

"Ah, but you haven't had a birthday with me yet." He explained.

"Oh? And what's the difference?" she asked with a faux curiosity.

"You'll actually have fun." He smirked and started for the door. "This time I'm really going home. My mom is probably thinking I slept overnight at the store or something." He said with a laugh.

"Have you ever done that before?" she asked.

"Of course not!" he shouted in protest. "But I've always wanted to." He laughed and opened up the door with May behind him.

"I'll bring your stuff over tomorrow, okay?" she offered.

"You don't have to do that." He explained, but she shook her head in disagreement.

"It's the least I could do. Bye!" she waved from the door. He waved back and started to go down the steps but chose to walk through the yard.

"Heh, bye!" he shouted. May smiled and locked the door after she shut it. She walked over to her red bag, sitting idly on the counter. She began digging through it until she found her phone. She flipped it opened to be welcome by five missed calls.

"Wha…" she whispered as she scrolled through her calls list. It read 'Gary Oak' over and over again. She sighed and resorted to returning at least one of his calls.

_RING…RING…_

"_Hello?" his voice entered her ears._

"Hey, you called me like fifty times. What's up?" she asked curiously.

"_I was waiting for you to come over but you never showed." _He explained.

"Oh! I'm sorry. You see I met Ash at the store and-" he interrupted her.

"_Ash?"_ he asked in an almost irritated voice.

"Yeah, Ash our friend. I met him at the store and he helped me bring my groceries home. When he left he tripped down the steps to the house and sprained his arm." She explained.

"_He sprained his arm, huh?" _he asked skeptically.

"Yes he sprained his arm. You remember when Max and my dad did it, so it is possible. And anyway, why am I explaining myself to you?" she asked in an angry tone.

"_Because I deserve an explanation."_ He spat. May gasped in disbelief.

"You know what? The only thing you deserve right now is for me to hang up. And you can forget about me coming over." She explained as she closed her phone and slammed it down on the counter.

"Ugh! Why did I ever agree to go out with him?!" She screamed to herself. She lifted herself up from the counter and walked to her room.

'_Our first fight. And it seems like it was over Ash. Was he jealous or something?' _she thought to herself with a disturbed expression on her face.

**Kris: End of Chapter.**

**AJ: Yo ho!**

**Mikey: Yo ho!**

**Ash: Near the hooks,**

**Kris: I'll never go!**

**May: Nargh! That was so my line.**

**AJ: Argh! Ye don't sound like a pirate me hearty.**

**May: What did you call me?**

**Kris: Boo! You're ruining the moment!**

**Ash: Argh! Act like a pirate or we'll make ye walked the plank.**

**All: Argh!**

**May: Wanna bet?  
**

**Ash: Er…I'm not really the betting type.**

**Kris: Right…thanks for reading guys! Now, review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Kris: Hi! Hi! Everyone! How's it going?**

**AJ: A pirate's life is a life for me!**

**May: Enough with the pirate stuff already!**

**Mikey: …Meow?**

**All: Boo!**

**Kris: Ha! Anyway, who's gonna do the disclaimer today  
**

**Ash: I'll do it! KrystalClear101 is not the owner of pokémon.**

**May: Boom!**

**All: Start the party!**

What If

Chapter 11

"Convince me to please you! Make me think that I need this too!" May happily sang the lyrics to a song she was listening to on her iPod as she cleaned the house. She bounced along sweeping and dusting various places and absentmindedly knocking over various objects.

"I'm not gonna write you a love song!" she sang into the broom stick as if she were on stage. She sat the broom down and sauntered over to the counter where a wet cloth was sitting. She wiped the counter down and continued humming to the song. She then moved onto the sink where there was a mini stack of dishes from the night before. She turned to water in the sink and reached to the side of the sink for the cloth she just finished using and some dish soap.

"I believe there's a way you can love me because I say I won't write you a love song," she whispered lightly as she looked out the window and into the street where kids were playing and laughing with one another. She paused her current action of scrubbing dishes to just stare out the window at the laughing children and admire their optimism.

'_To be a child again…'_ she rested her head into her soaking palm and just sat there sighing. A knock on the door snapped her out of her trance. She dropped her dishtowel and picked her headphones out of her ears and hung them around her neck as she walked to the door.

"Hello?" she answered. At the door was one of Max's friends that lived in the neighborhood. He stood about half a foot shorter than her with short black hair. He wore a long sleeve blue shirt with dark colored jeans and black tennis shoes.

"H-Hi May." He replied shyly. May smiled sweetly at the boy causing him to blush lightly.

"Hey Kenny. Are you looking for Max?" she asked. He shook his head and continued to stare at his shoes. Kenny had always been a shy boy. To her, he seemed extremely uncomfortable around her.

"No." he answered and looked up at her slightly. "Uh…Gary said he's sorry." He explained. May looked surprised but that expression soon changed to an expectant one.

"He is, huh?" she crossed her arms. He nodded and quickly ran off the porch. "Okay Gary, since when do we use twelve year olds to apologize?" she called out, expecting him to come out of his hiding place.

"I told you, since I started acting more gentlemen-like." he explained as he stepped out from the bush on the side of her house. May scowled at his apologetic face, waiting for him to come to the door.

"Right." She rolled her eyes and leaned against the doorframe.

"Look, I overreacted about the whole Ash spraining his arm thing and I'm sorry." He admitted. May stood up straight from her position and averted her gaze from him and began to shuffle her feet back and forth.

"I hope you don't think it's going to be this easy." She said with a smirk. He sighed and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Oh of course not. It's never this easy with you." He said. May looked at him strangely.

"What do you mean?" she asked, almost offensively.

"You are so hard to figure out." He reached out to her but she turned her back on him, her arms still folded across her chest.

"But so easy to love." He whispered as he wrapped his arms around her waist. That was all it took for her to give in and melt into his chest. But she stopped herself and stepped out of his embrace.

"There you go with the love thing again. I'm not sure if I'm ready for the 'I love you' part yet. I mean…" her voice trailed off when she noticed the hurt look in his emerald eyes.

"I've always loved you, but as a brother and not as a boyfriend." She tried to explain. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's going to take awhile before I have that type of affection for you, that's all. So until then…" he held up a hand to cease her talking.

"I get it. I shouldn't have assumed that you had the same feelings I had at such an early part in our relationship of three days." He said with a smile.

"I'm glad we're on the same page here." She smiled and looked down at her shoes with a faint blush on her cheeks. He brushed a piece of her hair behind her ear causing her to shiver slightly. She was about to say something, but she was interrupted by a sneeze that came out of nowhere.

"Achoo!" she sneezed loudly. Gary backed up a bit and began to wipe his shirt of her spit.

"Er…are you okay?" he asked cautiously, to avoid being sneezed on again.

"Yeah. It was just a one time a-a-achoo!" she sneezed again and again and again. Gary looked at her strangely as if anticipating to next one.

"Okay. I think I'm done now. So maybe it wasn't a one time thing." She shrugged.

"Are you staying here? Or are we going over to your place because I really need to shut the door." She explained.

"You know what? I'm gonna go home right now. I think we could use a break from one another at least for a couple hours. A lot happened today and I need some time to think." He explained with a distant look in his eyes. May was taken aback by his expression and followed him to the door.

"You sure?" he nodded and smiled. "Well, okay then. See you later." She smiled back as he leaned in and gave her a smile peck on the cheek. As he turned to leave she shouted one last thing at him.

"Don't send Kenny back here to apologize!" he put up a hand of understanding as he walked off. May looked outside before she shut the door and went to continue on with doing her dishes.

"That was weird." She said, stacking dish after dish on the counter. "I didn't expect him to say we need a break from each other. Oh well." She shrugged and dried her hands with a dry towel and took the stopper out of the sink. She then reached for the house phone and picked it up in her hand and began dialing.

_RING…RING…_

"_Hello?"_ a female voice answered.

"Mrs. Ketchum? Hi it's May." May answered the phone with a smile.

"_May? Oh, Caroline's daughter! Right, hi May."_ The older woman replied with a giggled.

"I'm sure Ash told you about what happened yesterday, right?" May asked nervously.

"_He sure did. Don't worry about it May. He's always been clumsy."_ Delia laughed. May giggled as well.

"Okay then. But he left the things he bought at the store here and I wanted to make sure he got them. So is it alright if I come over?" she asked.

"_Sure, sure. That's no problem. I had no idea he even went to the store. But yes, that'll be fine." _She answered.

"Thanks. I guess I'll see you soon then. Wait, is he there?" May asked quickly before Delia hung up the phone.

"_Yes dear, he's up in his room right now. I'll tell him to expect a visit from you pretty soon." _She said with a slight giggled.

"Alright then, bye!" May hung up the phone and began digging through the cabinets for things that she knew belonged to Ash. Things like fruit snacks, chips, frozen desserts, and bottle of ketchup.

"He is so weird. He bought all this junk food and a bottle of Ketchup. Go figure." She rolled her eyes and stuffed them all inside of her large tote bag. She grabbed her keys and started for the door like she always does.

Before she took off down the porch, she locked the door behind her and carefully walked down the steps. She tried to remember the directions to Ash's house so she wouldn't get lost. She noted the temperature of the wind as she developed goose bumps on her arms.

"It's getting cold outside. Maybe I should go back and get a jacket or something. But I'm way too far away from the house to go back now. Oh well. I can make it." She traveled on, crossing various streets and making turns as well.

She thought about why she really wanted to go over Ash's house, besides bringing him some of the things he left at her house. She had to be honest with herself. She wanted to see Ash. She wanted to know how he was doing with his arm. She wanted to spend some time with him since her and Gary were taking a break from each other. She needed to be with a friend since Kelly wasn't talking to her and she still didn't know why.

With all of these things going through her mind, she didn't notice when little drops of water began to fall from the sky until one landed on her nose. She jumped and looked up to see rain beginning to pour onto the ground. She cursed to herself and began to run the rest of the way to Ash's house.

When she finally arrived, she was soaked to the bone. She ran up to the door and stood under the little roof and knocked on the door. She nervously stood at the door, rubbing her arms with her hands, trying to ignore the wind that was sweeping past her. She thought she was going to lose her mind until the door finally opened and she was welcomed by the smell of baked apple pie and warmth.

"May! Oh geez, get inside." Ash answered the door happily but quickly stepped aside so she could enter. She smiled gratefully and stepped inside slightly shivering. She dropped her tote bag to the ground and began to look around the house she was now in. She jumped slightly when she felt something around her, it was a jacket.

"Ash, is this-" she started but he shook his head and picked up her bag.

"I had a hunch that you were cold." He shrugged and brought the bag into the kitchen where his mom was in an apron, cooking. May followed him and he sat the bag on the table and began emptying its contents. May sat down in one of the chairs and tried to warm up.

"Oh May! You look awful." May sweatdropped as Delia rushed over to her and began to apply her mothering skills. She grabbed a clean towel and began drying her hair, while Ash busied himself with putting the small amount of groceries away.

"Er…thanks?" she said cautiously.

"Dear, you need to get out of these wet clothes and into something dry. I'm sure Ash has something that you can put on." She said with a smile as she rushed out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

"Mom! Why can't she wear your clothes?" Ash asked frantically. But Delia was long gone. He sighed and sat down at the table with May and rested his arm on the table.

"What's the matter? You don't want me to wear your clothes?" May asked slyly. Ash looked surprised at her comment but his expression quickly changed.

"Oh no! You're not getting me with that again. No May, I don't have a problem with you wearing my clothes." He smirked back. She giggled at his response and nodded.

"Good. I might want to take them home." She smirked back and stood up from her chair to meet Delia at the stairs. Ash gaped and ran a hand through his dark hair. He sighed and looked around the kitchen until his eyes stopped at the window where the rain was practically coming down in buckets.

"Man, it's really coming down out there." He whispered to himself. Delia walked in the kitchen idly and continued working on her pie that was currently baking in the over.

"May's in the bathroom changing right now." She explained. Ash looked at her strangely.

"You did that on purpose didn't you?" Ash asked. Delia didn't turn around but she reply shortly.

"Did what?" she answered back innocently.

"Oh come on mom. This is some kinda scheme that you're planning with May's mom to try and hook us up." Ash got up from his chair and leaned back on the counter to look at her. Delia never met his gaze as she continued working.

"Do you like May?" she asked. Ash began to stare off into space, comprehending her question.

"Maybe." He shrugged and walked out of the kitchen and into the front room where he met May, coming down the stairs. Delia smiled sweetly as she watched them interact.

**Kris: End of Chapter!**

**AJ: Teehee!**

**Mikey: Yargh!**

**May: No! That's a pirate thing!**

**Mikey: Meow…?**

**May: No!**

**Kris: Anyway, Chapter 12 should be right on schedule. So wait for it!**

**All: Review! 4 Sure!**

**R&R**


	12. Chapter 12

**Kris: Hi! Hi! Everyone! How's it going?**

**AJ: John Jacob Jingle-Heimer Smit!**

**Mikey: His name is my name too!**

**Ash: Whenever we go out!**

**May: The people always shout!**

**All: There goes John Jacob Jingle-Heimer Smit!**

**Kris: Da da da da da da da!**

**Gary: …Wow…**

**Kris: Oh shut up and do the disclaimer already. You're such a butt.**

**Gary: Whatever…KrystalClear101 is not the owner of pokémon.**

**All: Start the Party!**

What If

Chapter 12

As the night went on, the rain intensified far worse than the weathermen/women had predicted. But this was unknown to the three individuals staying at the Ketchum residence. While Delia continued her activity in the kitchen, May and Ash sat in the front room while she dried her hair and watched TV. May changed out of her other clothes and into some of Ash's, which included a black tee shirt with a large orange stripe across the chest and white basketball shorts with blue lining.

"So, what do you want to do?" Ash asked strangely as he flipped through the channels. May shrugged her shoulders and continued to sit on the couch next to him with her legs close to her chest and her hands working the towel on her head.

He gave a sigh and slightly glared at her, she didn't respond to his stare for her eyes were concealed by strands of her wet hair.

"How are things with you and Kelly?" He asked out of the blue. May slid the towel from her head down to her shoulders. She gave a sigh and curled up within herself and rested her chin atop her knees.

"The last time I talked to her was Friday." She admitted, ruefully. May sighed again and leaned back into the couch.

"I know you tried calling her yesterday, but you should try again. And why doesn't she like the idea of you and Gary being together anyway?" he asked curiously.

"I don't know. She never did care for the boy but it was like when she got back from summer vacation this year she totally hated him. I have no idea why." She explained.

"Have you ever seriously asked her? You know like actually sat down with her and talked about it?" he asked. May sat there in silence for a minute, pondering her thoughts.

"You know what? I haven't. I mean a couple times I asked her, she just got this mad look on her face and shrugged it off, so I just let it go and decided to ask another time." She said. Ash nodded and turned back to the TV.

"You guys should hang out tomorrow and maybe you might learn something." He said truthfully. May looked at him strangely and wrapped her arms around him. He was surprised at her action and stared at her once she pulled back.

"What was that for?" he asked curiously. She just smiled at him.

"That's for being an awesome friend. I don't know what it is about you, but I feel like I can tell you anything. And I haven't even known you for a week yet." She smiled. He smiled back and shrugged.

"I'm glad you can trust me like that May. I feel the same about you. You know, being able to tell you anything." He gave a short laugh.

She smiled warmly and rested her head on the back of the couch and sighed loudly. He continued scanning through the TV channels looking for something to watch. He resorted to leaving the TV on cartoon network. His attention was piqued once he saw what was on.

"Pokémon!" the large yellow and blue block letters popped up on the screen. He used to watch the show all the time when he was little and found himself hooked to it after awhile. But once the main character, his favorite character, had left for the Sinnoh region he stopped watching it.

"Achoo!" May sneezed next to him. He was startled out of his TV gazing and turned over to see her rubbing her nose and sniffling slightly.

"Are you sick?" he asked cautiously. May shrugged and gave a toothy grin.

"It's possible since I walked in the rain just to bring you your junk food." He was taken aback by her smile.

"Hey, no one told you to do that." He said defensively. May began to glare at him as she shot up from the couch.

"Oh! So we're acting ungrateful now, huh? Is that it? You don't appreciate the fact that I had to trek all the way over here in the pouring rain just to bring you the things that you left at my house. Is that it? Huh?" he looked at her strangely and then at how far away the door was.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Something has to be wrong? I can't just yell at you for no reason?" she yelled again.

"No? There kind of has to be a reason May. Why don't we just calm down for a sec, okay? Er…do you want some ice cream? I think we have chocolate." At that her expression changed into a calmer one as she sat nicely on the couch.

"Okay." She smiled sweetly. Ash shook his head nervously as he got up from the couch and headed for the kitchen. He ran a hand through his unkempt hair as he was met by the sound of clinging dishes. His mom stood at the sink with running water and foamy hands.

"Man, so that's what a mood swing is like." He sighed and went for the freezer door where the ice cream was.

"I know what's wrong with her." She answered with her back turned to him.

"You do? Can you tell me?" he asked, somewhat eager to know.

"I'll tell you when you're older." She said with a laugh. He gaped as he reached for the upper cabinet door and pulled out two ceramic bowls.

"When I'm older? We've already had 'The Talk,' what else are you keeping a secret from me?" he asked in a shocked tone.

"It's a girl thing Ash. And I'm not too sure you want to know what it is." She laughed again.

"Would you just tell me already?" he argued with her. She gave a sigh and began drying her hands on a nearby towel.

"This relates to 'The Talk,' if you will." She began.

.-.

May sat contently on the couch, waiting for Ash to return with her frozen treat. Truth be told, she couldn't wait. She could already taste it melting in her mouth then coolly sliding down her throat, leaving the semi-sweet chocolaty flavor in her mouth.

"Mhmm…I can already taste it." She sighed dreamily to herself.

"OH! That is so gross!" she heard Ash yell from the kitchen. There was a commotion that drew her attention to said room. She leaned over to see what was going on. Delia had a hand over her mouth while Ash was hurriedly scooping ice cream into the bowls. He recapped the ice cream and threw it in the freezer before he literally ran back into the main room. May quickly returned to her original position before he came back in.

He dropped the bowl in her lap and plopped down next to her, giving an exasperated sigh. May eyed him weirdly but she brushed it off and started eating her frozen treat. Oh how she loved ice cream. Ash looked over at the girl next to him. She wore a dreamy expression while she ate.

"I take it you like ice cream." He said with a laugh. May snapped out of her dream-like state and switch her gaze to him.

"Huh? Oh yeah! I love it." She said with a giggle. Ash gave a short laugh before clawing into his own bowl. May stared in shock at how he murdered the ice cream with the lethal weapon known as a spoon. Bits of chocolate went flying, splashing onto his clothes, his face, the couch, the walls, and even May.

"Ash! Come on now!" she shouted. He immediately stopped and stared at her chocolate covered face. It almost looked as bad as his.

"Whoa May. You got chocolate all over your face." He said. May glared at him and wiped it from her face with her thumb.

"So do you." She finally noticed the chocolate mustache/beard combo he had going on and couldn't contain her laughter. He looked at her strangely and felt his face. He looked back at his hand and saw a wet, brown, sticky substance on it.

"Awh man! Not again!" he dropped his empty bowl on the coffee table and walked into the kitchen for a towel.

"That was too rich!" May laughed again as she continued to eat her ice cream. Soon Ash returned with a shameful grin on his face.

"It wasn't _that_ funny May." He glared at her. May just giggled and ignored his anger.

"You don't really talk about Gary anymore. Are you guys doing okay?" he asked curiously. May stopped eating for a second and stared down at her bowl.

"I don't know." She looked up at him. "I mean, I talked to him today before I came here and he said we need to take a break from each other. So I guess we're okay. I'm just kind of confused." She said.

"Okay then, I was just making sure." She gave him a smile and nudged him in the shoulder.

"You're so considerate. You'd make a good boyfriend." She commented. Ash looked at her strangely.

"For who?" he asked slyly.

"For any girl." She ignored his tone of voice as she sat her empty bowl on the coffee table next to Ash's. He nodded slowly and looked at her from the corner of his eye, wondering what she was getting at.

May smiled a bit until she looked out the window and saw the severity of the storm. She gasped and frowned. She liked the rain, but not rain storms. Thunder really creeped her out even more so if the electricity went out.

"Look at the rain, Ash." May said. He looked out the window and scowled.

"Yeah, it's bad out there. You're lucky you came when you did." He ruffled her hair a bit and laughed. May giggled and brushed his hand away.

"Would you quit that? Heh, it's bad enough my hair is a mess now you're just adding on to it." She said with a smirk.

"So, are you going to give me a tour of the house or not?" she asked, standing up.

"You didn't give me a tour of your house." He argued. May shot back at him and smirked again.

"Yes I did. On the first day we met, I gave you a tour of my house. Now it's your turn." He looked like he was thinking before he reluctantly agreed.

"Fine. Follow me." He sluggishly stood up from the couch and started for the main hallway.

"Okay, we were just in the front room. That's the kitchen, obviously. Down this hallway is the door to the garage, the back yard, and the basement. Up the stairs is the bathroom, my room, my mom's room, and the guest room. That's all." He let out a long awaited breath and started back to the main room.

"Hold on! You're not going to let me see them?" she asked strangely. Ash stared at her longingly before dropping his head in defeat.

"Okay, okay. Come on, we'll go upstairs then." She giggled lightly as she followed him up the stairs. She looked at the white wood railing as she walked on, admiring the craftsmanship and creativity of the house.

"This first door is my mom's room. Er…we're not allowed to go in there." He explained. May nodded as they passed the white door and turned right.

"You already know where the bathroom is, right?" he asked. May nodded.

"Which one is your room?" she asked in an excited tone.

"This one is my room." He said. He was just standing there, blocking the way. May gave a huff and pushed him aside. He grunted angrily causing her to smile as she turned the slightly rusted knob and pushed the door open.

"So this is your room, huh?" she asked while walking in. Ash nonchalantly stuffed his hands in his pockets and nodded.

"Yep." The walls were a medium green color with various posters neatly hung on them. There was a metallic desk in the far left corner with a lamp and several sheets of paper. Accompanied by this desk was an office chair to match. There was a briefcase sitting on the floor next to the chair as well.

In the middle of the room sat a twin sized bed with a navy blue blanket and white sheets with a feather pillow. On the right side of the bed, up against the wall, was a 17-inch television sitting on a dresser with several cords coming out of it. A few feet away from that sat a red bean bag chair. The floor was all wood.

"This is a really nice room, Ash. I'm almost jealous." Ash rolled his eyes and started to walk toward the bed, but he had to pass May in the process.

BOOM

There was a sickening thunderclap that sounded throughout the town. All of the sudden, everything became dark and quiet. The rain from outside the window became much louder than before and there were more thunderclaps in the distance as well as flashes of lightning that illuminated the room.

"Awh man…" Ash whined, trying to figure out where he was. May decided to stand still until the lights came back on, but Ash wasn't as wise. With his arms flailing about, he grabbed the closest thing he could.

"Ah!" May shrieked when she felt something grab her arm. Ash cringed at the scream and quickly let go. Then May began feeling around.

"May, did I grab you?" Ash asked.

"Yes. You scared the crap out of me." She gave a sigh and held a hand close to her heart. She then felt a vibration coming from the shorts she was wearing. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and it soon became a source of light. The caller ID read 'Gary Oak.'

"Gary?" May answered.

"_May? Is your power out?"_ he asked.

"I don't know. I'm at Ash's house and theirs is out." She answered back.

"_Why are you over there?"_ he asked strangely. May sighed again.

"It's a long story. I'll tell you when I get back home." She answered.

"_Okay then. I was just calling to make sure you were alright, can't let anything happen to my fav girl."_ He said with a laugh. May playfully rolled her eyes.

"Right. Talk to you later." She gave her goodbye.

"_Okay. Bye."_ She heard the line click and she ended the call.

"Gary's power is out too, I guess." May gave a shrug.

**Kris: This seems like a good place to end the chapter, right?  
**

**Gary: Ha! You can't get rid of me! I was still in this chapter!**

**May: For like 4 lines.**

**Ash: Mwahaha!**

**Kris: Whoa…so evil. Anyway, I feel like I'm accomplishing something! This is the third update in a row with no…um…interruptions? Something like that. As always…**

**All: Review! 4 Sure!**

**R&R**


	13. Chapter 13

**Kris: Hi! Hi! Everyone!**

**May: Hey all!**

**Ash: How's it going?**

**AJ: Bonjour!**

**Mikey: Hola!**

**Kris: Are we going to spend this entire time just saying hello?**

**May: What's wrong with that?**

**Kris: We can only use up so much space you know.**

**AJ: Whatever…she skipped some from the end of Chapter 12…just so you know.**

**Mikey: I wanted to say that!**

**Kris: It was my job to say that!**

**Ash: KrystalClear101 is not the owner of pokémon.**

**May: Start the party!**

**All: We're all supposed to say that!**

What If?

Chapter 13

The weather had finally calmed down and the power had flickered back on after an hour and a half of waiting. May had gathered up the damp clothes she had changed out of and stuffed them in her tote bag, still fully clothed in Ash's tee and shorts. Her items stood by the door waiting to be picked up as the three individuals of the household sat down to a somewhat early dinner.

The events that occurred in Ash's room were still fresh in May's mind as she slowly ate her meal that consisted of noodles and baked chicken. She couldn't help but feel a bit warm when she thought of how Ash had grabbed onto her arm accidentally and she screamed.

She quickly shook the memory from her head and finished her food along with Delia and Ash.

"How's that arm of yours?" May asked while picking up her plate and carefully discarding it into the sink.

"It's okay but I didn't know that it itched this much." He complained while scratching it. May giggled lightly and took Ash's and Delia's plate as well.

"Oh May, you don't have to do that. You're a guest here." Delia slightly scolded her. May brushed it off and continued with what she was doing.

"It's the least I could do after you let me stay here Ms. Ketchum." May bowed respectively and returned to the sink.

"She's a keeper." Delia whispered to Ash and winked mischievously as she walked out of the kitchen. Ash rolled his eyes and walked over to the sink. He stood on May's right side and grabbed a dry dish towel from the counter and began carefully drying the dishes with his right hand and delicately holding it with the fingers of his left hand.

"Are you sure you can do it? I don't want you to hurt yourself. Plus I think your mom would be pretty steamed if you broke one of her dishes." May gave a short laugh. Ash lightly nudged her in the arm but winced from the pain in his arm. She shook her head at his action.

CRASH

May gasped loudly and dropped the dish she was washing back in the sink causing water and bubbles to fly up and splatter on her and on Ash. Luckily the plate wasn't that far from the bottom of the sink when it slipped from her hands. But Ash wasn't so lucky. After receiving that pain in his arm he dropped the plate and it came crashing down onto the floor.

Both of them cringed, waiting for Delia to explode. It was only a matter of time before they heard those light footsteps coming down the hallway. Ash could literally hear his heart beat in his ears. May nervously wrung out the towel she was using over an over again until Delia popped her head in the kitchen with an almost happy expression on her face.

"Be careful when you clean that up." She said with a smile and with that, she was gone.

"She's not mad?" Ash said out loud. May shrugged and returned to the dish she was washing. It just so happened to be the last one in the sink. Once she passed it over to Ash, she took the drain out and watched as the water retreated back down the pipe, leaving a crowd of bubbles in the sink. Feeling devious, she waited for Ash to dry the last dish before grabbing a handful of bubbles and stuffing it in his face.

"May! What the-!" he was cut off guard by another onslaught of bubbles from the girl as she giggled out of controllably. Ash growled at her and reached for his drying towel. When she wasn't looking he began to wind it up tightly and slung it at her side.

"Ouch!" she shrieked and began to rub her sigh. Her eyes widened at his devious look as she backed away from the kitchen sink.

"Okay now Ash. It was all fun and games." She tried to reason with him by putting her hands up in defeat.

"Yeah, just like this!" he said as he slung the towel again, this time hitting her arm. She cringed again and held it protectively.

"Quit it Ash! That stuff hurts." She protested with an angry scowl on her face.

"Does it?" he asked apologetically. May nodded like a child and poked her bottom lip out.

"Too bad!" he slung it once more as she turned to run away from him. This time he, unintentionally, hit her bottom causing her to jump slightly and give him a death glare.

"This means war!" She shouted as she charged at him, landing on his back. By this time she had already snatched the towel from his hand and began repeatedly smacking him in the head with it.

"Okay! I'm sorry! It was an accident! Get off!" He shouted each time she hit him. May stubbornly slid off and landed on the floor next to him with her arms folded across her and chest and a mad frown on her face.

"How about we call a truce?" he asked hopefully. He stuck out his hand and waited for her to take it. She stared at it for awhile before reluctantly unfolding her arms and shaking it with a slight smile on her face. Ash gave a sigh of relief before May turned around and began walking to the front part of the house.

"Remind me to never get on your bad side." He said with a laugh. May laughed as well. She threw the towel behind her, expecting Ash to catch it, which he did and wrapped it around his neck.

"I better be going Ash. It looks like the storm has finally cleared up." She said with a sad smile. Ash nodded and looked down at her.

"Do you need me to walk you home?" he asked, somewhat hopefully. May shook her head and pulled out her phone once more.

"I think I'll ask Gary to come get me." She said as she began pushing buttons. Ash nodded developing a strange feeling in his chest. It was a tight feeling that made him feel uncomfortable, but it soon passed.

"Gary? Hey, I'm still at Ash's. Do you think you can come get me?" he heard her say. There was a quiet muffled voice on the other end.

"Yeah, that's where he lives. Can you come? Okay, see you soon then. Bye." She hung up the phone and stuck it in her pocket again. Then a thought popped into her mind.

"When do you want your clothes back?" she asked. Ash looked at her strangely before remembering that she _was_ wearing his clothes.

"Whenever." He gave a shrug.

"When's he going to come?" Ash asked.

"In about ten minutes." She responded with a nod.

.-.

May sat contently by the large window in the main room on the couch where she and Ash had been watching TV. She longingly stared out the window at the slowly darkening sky. It was a dull orange color with a tint of gray covering it. Outside, everything was still wet from the storm including the streets, sidewalks, trees, etc. It almost depressed her to everything so damp and the sky getting dark. But she let it go and gave out a sigh, patiently waiting to go home.

Ash stared off into space, ignoring everything around him. Including May's frequent sighs and the voices coming from the TV. He absentmindedly twirled the remote in his hand and found a random spot on the wall to stare at. He too was waiting just like May. But secretly, he wished he wasn't.

_KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK_

May shot up from the couch and waited for Ash to join her. It was his turn to sigh as he stood up and slightly dusted his pants off, heading for the front door. May followed close behind with an almost sick feeling in her stomach that suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Ash cautiously looked through one of the windows by the door to see who it was exactly, although he had a hunch who it was. He undid the lock and opened to the door to come face to face with a familiar friend.

"Hey Ash," Gary replied with a small wave. Ash nodded and stepped aside so May could see said teenager. At the sight of her, a smile was brought to his face. May slightly blushed and switched her attention to Ash who looked a tad bored.

"Hey Gary. Well May," he started. May had already stepped out of the door and onto the porch where she looked at Ash with a warm smile.

"Thanks for bringing my things over." He said with a smile while scratching his cast. May giggled lightly.

"Don't mention it. I'll see you around Ash." She said with a wave as her and Gary started off the porch. Ash waved goodbye as he shut the door. Once he was sure they were already on the sidewalk, he slid down the door and ran his left hand through his messy hair. He huffed quietly and stared up at the ceiling.

As he sat there in silence, he felt as if a part of him were missing. He looked down at his chest and focused on his beating heart. It felt strange, almost like it hurt. He couldn't describe it. He had never felt this way before. It was bothering him. He tried to brush it off but the more he did, the stranger he felt.

"What's wrong with me?" he asked, rhetorically. At that, he heard footsteps coming from the opposite end of the hallway. He looked up and saw the legs of his mother. She was looking down on him with an apologetic smile.

"You miss her already, don't you?" she asked. He stared at her as if she were an alien from another planet.

"Who? May?" he asked with a confused look on his face. She nodded and sat down next to him with her knees propped up and her arms wrapped around them, nonchalantly.

"It's a perfectly normal feeling, dear." She started. Ash just stared at her strangely as she continued to talk.

"Tell me, whenever you're around her, do you find yourself unable to leave her alone for even just a moment?" she asked him. Ash stared at the floor, searching for an answer.

"…Sometimes…" he admitted. Delia nodded slowly with a smile creeping its way onto her face.

"Or when she laughs do you feel your stomach flip?" she asked again. Ash looked disturbed. He nodded again but was trying to figure out what she was getting at. Every question she asked, he said yes to.

"And when she's with someone…_else_…do you get the urge to push that someone else away?" she asked again. Ash couldn't believe it, but that was true too. He nodded and stared at her with a look of confusion.

"What are you getting at? What do all those questions mean?" he asked as she stood up and laughed lightly.

"It means that my Ash has a crush." He stared incredulously at her.

.-.

"So did you have fun over Ash's house?" Gary spoke up as he and May walked side by side. May shrugged slightly and adjusted her tote bag on her shoulder.

"Is there a reason why you're not talking to me?" he asked suspiciously.

"You said to take a break from each other." She retaliated. Gary looked at her strangely.

"I know but I meant as a couple, not as friends. Besides, if we're taking a break why'd you call me to come get you?" he asked slyly. May stopped walking and stared at the ground. Gary stopped as well and stared at her.

"I wanted to ask you something." She said quietly. Gary walked up to her and stood there with his hands at his sides.

"What?" he tried looking in her eyes, but her bangs concealed them.

"Last year around this time, you basically told me that you liked me more than a friend. I want to know why you did it the way you did." She asked with determination in her slightly glistening blue eyes.

Gary stood there with a surprised expression on his face. He was wondering where her sudden question came from and why she had asked. It brought back an old memory that he had wanted to forget somewhat. It brought a time in his life that he wished had never happened, but there was nothing he could do about it. Here stood his best friend since childhood, asking him why he confessed in the manner that he did.

"Truthfully May? I don't know…"

**Kris: End of Chapter!**

**May: Good-bye all!**

**Ash: Have a good day!**

**AJ: Au Revoir!**

**Mikey: Adios!**

**Kris: Er…see ya? Preview of next chapter…**

"_He was the most incredible guy I had ever met. I hate to admit it, but I had fallen in love…"_

…

"_Do you even know the cause of your actions?! Do you even care?!"_

…

"_I'm sorry about what happened. It must've been hard dealing with it for all this time. I just wish you would've told me sooner."_

**Kris: That's it! Stayed tuned for next Friday! Hopefully!**

**All: Review! 4 Sure!**

**R&R**


	14. Chapter 14

**Kris: Hi! Hi! Everyone! I'm kind of hungry…**

**Ash: Then go eat.**

**Kris: What if I don't want to.**

**May: Then maybe you're not all that hungry.**

**Kris: But I am!**

**Gary: You just want somebody to bring you food.**

**Kris: Yah! You understand.**

**Ash: Lazy…**

**Kris: Like you're one to talk!**

**May: Ash isn't lazy!**

**Ash: Yeah!**

**Kris: There you go double teaming me again.**

**May: You've got Gary.**

**Kris: Ew no! He smells.**

**Gary: You smell! KrystalClear101 is not the owner of pokémon.**

**All: Start the party!**

**Kris: We'll settle this later, Ketchum's…**

What If

Chapter 14

The remainder of the walk was silent as each individual return to their homes. May thoughtfully took in her surroundings with her hands behind her back. Gary watched her for a second while eyeing the clothes she was wearing.

"Whose clothes are you wearing?" he asked out of curiosity. May turned to him with an absent look on her face. She then looked down at the tee shirt and shorts she was wearing and her mind clicked.

"Uh…these are Ash's…" she replied cautiously. Gary looked at her incredulously. He heard _his _name again. It somewhat angered him that she was spending a lot of time with _him_ lately.

"Why do you have on Ash's clothes?" he asked with a bit of aggravation in his voice. May noticed and gripped her necklace tightly. It was something she always did when she was in an awkward situation.

"My clothes were all wet from walking in the rain so his mom offered me this. I hope you're not mad." She stared at the pavement below waiting for his response. She heard a sigh and felt an arm wrap around her shoulder. He pulled her close to him and turned to face her.

"I'm not mad. I guess…I don't like it when you have to depend on people other than me." He explained. May nodded and gave a slight smile. He smirked and let his arm rest on her shoulders as they continued their walk.

"I want to be your provider." He added, leaning in and planting a kiss on her forehead. She unnoticeably winced as her gaze dropped to the ground below.

'_Again with this feeling. It just doesn't feel right whenever he kisses me or whenever I kiss him.'_ She thought ruefully to herself. Gary noticed her downcast expression and tightened his grip around her.

"What's the matter?" he asked in a concerned tone. May quickly covered her disturbed look with a content one to end his questioning.

"Nothing I guess I'm just tired." She lied. He eyed her suspiciously and brought his hand up to her chin to get a better look at her face.

"Now that you mention it, you do look tired and a tad pale. Are you sick?" he asked. May slightly glared at his persistence and snaked her way from under his touch.

"No…I'm just…I don't know." She walked ahead, hugging herself. She was confused. This wasn't what she wanted, not at all. He was confused as well. He felt like she wasn't telling him anything anymore. He felt like having her this close to him was slowly pulling them apart. The irony was killing him.

"Talk to me May. What's going on?" he asked, trying to catch up with her. She turned around to face him, her eyebrows furrowed.

"You…you're my boyfriend right?" she started. He nodded. "And you're also my best friend, at least that's how it's always been." She added. He nodded and took a step toward her, beckoning her to step back with him.

"What are you getting at?" he asked worriedly. Her gaze dropped once more.

"I'm not…I," she couldn't find the words to say to him. She turned her back on him and stared up at the small gray clouds floating in the sky, the sun was dully shining from behind them. She lightly touched her forehead and ran her hand over it repeatedly.

"May what's-" he reached out to grab her shoulder. She sensed him behind her and turned around swiftly.

"Don't touch me!" she yelled. He stared at her with a mixture of hurt and surprise.

"I'm confused okay? I don't know what's going on anymore. We're not…no," with that she fell to her knees and began shaking her head. Gary rushed over to her and bent down at her side.

"We're not what May? What are you talking about?" he lightly grabbed her by her arms and tried looking into her eyes. She looked so vulnerable and weak. He couldn't stand to see her this way.

"This doesn't feel right Gary. You and me, it's not right. We're not right." She snapped. He was taken aback.

"Wha-" he looked at her strangely.

"We're not…" her voice trailed off as she fell in his arms, shaking slightly. He slowly wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly.

'_No…'_ he clinched his eyes shut and lifted his head up at the sky.

.-.

May felt herself slowly being put down on something soft. She opened her eyes to be met by the exterior of her living room couch. She slowly sat up and looked around the room. Everything seemed the same but one thing was different. Gary was sitting in her dad's armchair. He looked distressed and almost sad. It didn't seem like he knew she was awake yet.

"Gary…" May whispered rubbing her eyes. His gaze stayed locked on whatever he was staring at. She swung her legs over the side of the couch and stared at him, waiting for some kind of response. He remained silent.

"Gary what's wrong?" she asked worriedly. She had never seen him so serious before. Not even when he confessed the first time.

"…Us…" he whispered lightly. Her mind clicked. She remembered what happened when they were walking home. She hadn't thought about how it might've affected him emotionally.

"Gary I-" she started.

"Don't apologize May. You meant every word." He said remaining stoic. She wanted so badly to take back everything but she couldn't. Everything that had been said needed to be said no matter how bad it hurt.

"And surprisingly…I don't disagree." He murmured softly. May got up from the couch and knelt before him. She wore a sullen expression as she gripped his shoulders and leaned forward, connecting her forehead with his. He dropped his hands and stared at her. He noticed her close her eyes and develop a small smile.

"We can make this work. After all we've been through together." She gave a short laugh. At first he seemed a little less enthusiastic about the whole idea, but he too found himself smiling as well. He removed her hands from his shoulders and held them in his own, looking into her bright blue eyes.

"We _can_ make this work." He said in a believing tone. With his eyes still closed, he leaned forward a bit more and laid a soft kiss on her lips. But it still felt wrong to her. Her smile was gone when he pulled back and he took note of that.

"Still not right?" he asked in a defeated tone. May shook her head and opened her eyes. He could tell she truly was sorry for the way she felt. But he smiled nonetheless.

"We'll work on it." He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. She nodded with an apologetic smile and lunged forward. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and buried herself in his shoulder.

"I want to Gary, I really do but…" her voice trailed off and developed into sobs.

"I don't want to see you hurt." She cried. Gary rubbed her back in slow circles. He was shocked to know that she was this distressed for him.

"Don't do this to yourself because of me, alright?" he said with a reassuring voice. She nodded and pulled back.

"Just give us some more time okay?" she wiped her tears and smiled at his warm expression.

"Okay." She sniffled.

.-.

After Gary had left, May chose to follow Ash's advice and call Kelly again. Truth be told, she was a tad nervous. The way Kelly had exploded on her after May told her about her and Gary was something she wasn't looking forward to experiencing again. But pushing that all aside she cared more about the girl than her faltering relationship anyway.

She slowly picked up the phone and looked at the digital clocked that read_ 4:23_. She gave a sigh and began looking through her address book, scrolling through the K's. The highlighted bar hit _Kelly_ causing her to inhale deeply and exhale deeply. She pressed the green send button and warily brought the phone up to her ear, listening to the monotonous dial.

'_One ring…two rings…three rings…'_ she gave a sigh and began reaching for the red end button before…

"_What do you want?" _The girl answered in a venomous tone. May was taken aback by the harshness of her voice.

"We need to talk." May said, trying her best to hide the growing irritation in her mood.

"_Fine. Talk." _The girl replied in chopped speech.

"Okay then. Why do you hate Gary so much and the general idea of us being together? And I want the real truth not your usual speech of him being and egoistical, womanizing pig. It's much deeper than that…isn't it?" May asked. She was now determined to figure out the truth.

There was silence on the other end that caused May to question the tone of voice she used. She even began to question the complexity of the question she asked. Was it too personal? No, she needed to settle this disagreement with her no matter whose feelings got hurt. Things needed be said and things needed to be heard.

"_It's about time that you asked that. I was beginning to wonder why I called you my best friend."_ May heard somewhat of a laugh on the other end.

"So what is it?" May answered with a chipper tone. She heard Kelly give a sigh before she began to explain.

"_Mind you, this is a really long story. It started early last summer when my dad sent me to Lilycove City in Hoenn to visit my mom. While I was there I met this guy. His name was Johnny. At first things started off a bit bumpy. Our relationship kind of reminded me of you and Gary." _She paused.

"Yeah?" May edged her to continue.

"_As the summer went on though, we started becoming friends. We practically did everything together. I spent more time with him than I did with my mom. Then there was that day that he asked me out. I was kind of skeptical about it, but he changed my mind and before I knew it we were going steady."_ She let out a long breath before continuing. May could sense her emotions going on a high.

"_He was the most incredible guy I had ever met. I hate to admit it, but I had fallen in love…"_ she paused again.

"Really?" May asked excitedly.

"_Yeah May. But our first kiss was what began to shatter that. Whenever I kissed him, I felt like I was kissing my best friend. It felt so strange almost to the point where it made me sick just thinking about it. It was as if we were too close to be intimate with one another."_ She explained.

'_It's the same way with me…'_ May thought to herself.

"_When I confronted him about it, he seemed to feel the same way and said to just give us sometime to get used to each other. And I did but I felt him getting tired of my constant complaining about us not clicking. It then got to the point where he would get so angry with me and he turned into this completely different person that I was afraid of."_ May heard her sniffle slightly.

"Oh Kelly, I'm sorry about what happened. It must've been hard dealing with it for all this time. I wish you would've told me sooner." May replied with slight pity in her voice.

"_That's not even the whole story yet May."_ She replied.

_FLASHBACK_

"_Why are you getting so mad? You said to give us time and that's what I'm doing!" Kelly retaliated._

"_How much time do you need huh? I've waited too long for you." He said, turning his back on her._

"_Wait, Johnny what are you saying?" she asked worriedly._

"_I'm saying that…that I can't wait anymore. We're never going to work. You keep showing that to me every time I try to get close to you. What kind of relationship are we building if you won't even let me touch you?" he asked rhetorically._

"_I'm not used to this yet! You have to understand." She pleaded with him._

"_I'm tired of trying to understand Kelly. I'm tired of waiting for you. Either you're with me, or you're not." He asked her with a slight glare._

"_I…I don't know." She turned her gaze away from him and hugged herself tightly._

"_Whatever…" he began to storm off._

"_No! Wait! Please don't leave. I'm sorry." She chased after him, wrapping her arms around his torso causing him to stop. She sobbed in his back, shaking involuntarily. She heard a low growl escape his lips._

"_You're sorry? Do you even know the impact of your actions? Do you even care?" he yelled at her frail form. She winced at every word that came out of his mouth._

"_Of course I care!" she yelled back, tears in a steady flow._

"_No you don't! You don't care that I'm hurt. You don't care that every time you walk away from me, a piece of my heart crumbles away. You don't care that I actually lay awake at night thinking of what I did wrong to make you distance yourself from me. Because if you did care you'd try a lot harder than you are. I'm gone Kelly." He roughly removed her hands from his torso and stormed off again. This time she didn't follow._

_Falling to her knees, Kelly sobbed into her hands trying to figure out where she went wrong._

_END OF FLASHBACK_

"Oh my gosh Kelly. I'm so sorry." May said sympathetically.

"_I'm so angry with myself about what happened. Then I see you and Gary and how he did the same thing Johnny did and I look at how close you two are and it scares me. It scares me to think that the same thing that happened to me could happen to you. I don't want it to, May. I was emotionally unstable after that happened. I almost went into a depression." _She said.

"_That's why I'm against you and him being together. I don't want the same thing that happened to me to happen to you. I hurt going through it and it's going to hurt seeing it again."_ She explained.

"I hate to admit it, but we're going through the same thing right now. I feel awkward when I kiss him. And when I told him about it, he said to give us time. I told him that I didn't want him to get hurt by my insecurities but he seemed okay with it." May said.

"_Just be careful May. Please." _Kelly let out a sigh.

"I will. For you." May said with a smile.

**Kris: End of chapter.**

**May: This chapter kind of makes you sad, doesn't it?**

**Ash: Huh? What? I wasn't listening.**

**May: Grr! You are so oblivious to the world, you know that?**

**Ash: …what is this…oblivious you speak of?**

**Gary: Idiot…**

**Ash: Shut up!**

**Kris: Characters…anyway I'm sorry for not keeping my promise. I feel bad now. *tear* I'll try to make up for that this Friday which just so happens to be my birthday!**

**All: w00t!**

**Kris: Anyway…yeah**

**All: Review! 4 Sure!**

**R&R**


	15. Chapter 15

**Kris: Hi! Hi! Everyone!**

**Gary: How come you speak first?**

**Kris: Because I am the mighty authoress.**

**Gary: …and?**

**Kris: And I control everything in the bounds of the story and author notes. Got a problem with that Gar-bear? Hehe…**

**May: Gar-bear? That's worse than Ashy loser boy.**

**Ash: Everything is worse than Ashy loser boy.**

**Kris: That's just an all-around suckish insult.**

**Gary: Shut up!**

**All: Neva!**

**May: Heh, neva…funny…**

**Ash: You are so weird…**

**Kris: I'm not the owner of pokémon.**

**Gary: How come disclaimer doesn't do his job anymore?**

**Kris: Who knows? You sure do ask lots of questions…**

**May: He's our designated question asker for all eternity.**

**All: All hail the mighty question asker!**

**Gary: Shut…up and start the stupid party…**

**All: Start the party!**

What If

Chapter 15

As soon as the wonderful three day weekend arrived, it was gone along with most of the students joy and happiness for the most part. The students of Pallet High School lazily trudged into the building, yawning and rubbing their eyes all the way. They acted as if they chose the night before to get in all the possible sleep they could, which is true in some cases.

As soon as she got through the routine of metal detectors, May dropped her bag near her locker and began turning the lock, putting in the combination. She pulled down the green lock, unlocked the device and tossed in her Algebra book. She then began emptying the contents of her bag before she slung it over her shoulder and closed the locker, turning the lock a few times before walking off, heading to the cafeteria.

She wasn't fully aware of her surroundings yet as she walked down the semi crowded hallways. She left unexpectedly earlier than she usually does, thus Gary being absent from her presence. She yawned again while approaching the long flight of stairs that led to the cafeteria where she planned to eat breakfast.

Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, she noticed a large sum of students standing in a line in front of the doors of the lunch line. She sighed and decided to take a seat at her usual table before waiting in such a long line. She detested waiting with all her soul. She let her bag fall from her shoulder before unintentionally slamming her head down hard on the table.

"Ouch…" she murmured as she sat up and rubbed the now red spot on her forehead.

"Wow May, really smart." She heard a sarcastic voice behind her. She swiftly turned around to see her purple-haired friend looking back at her with a smirk and her hand on her hip.

"Kells…" May whispered before getting out of her seat and standing up to meet the girl.

"It's good to have you back." May smiled warmly and placed a hand on the girls shoulder.

"What would you do without me?" Kelly shrugged, causing May to roll her eyes as both of them sat down. Kelly immediately pulled out her phone and began texting. May rested her head in her palm and began absentmindedly tapping the table with the tips of her fingers.

"…Have you talked to Johnny since what happened?" May asked out of the blue. Kelly slowly sat her phone down and took a deep breath.

"I've tried to. But I quit after I kept getting one word answers from him." She explained. May nodded and looked back to see if the line had shrunk at all. Upon further inspection, she noticed Ash coming down the stairs with a sleepy look on his face. She smiled as he waved in her direction. She waved back and gave a short laugh.

"Are you sure you're…never mind…" Kelly stopped herself. She noticed how happy May seemed when she saw Ash compared to how she was just boredly tapping the table a few seconds ago.

"Good morning May. Hi Kelly." Ash said politely. Kelly looked up and smiled.

"Good morning guy friend of May's that I actually like." She said with a broad smile. He mentally sweat-dropped at the long greeting but smiled nonetheless.

"It feels weird coming to school on a Tuesday." May spoke up. She gained weird stares from both of her friends.

"Don't we come to school every Tuesday?" Kelly asked Ash. He nodded.

"No! I mean like…coming to school on Tuesday when you don't go to school on Monday. That's kind of weird." She explained. They nodded and Ash took a seat next to May and pulled out his Biology book, a pencil, and several sheets of paper. Kelly merely shook her head and gave a sigh.

"I see you have been following the example of my friend May here, Ash." Kelly said with a sly smirk.

"What do you mean?" he asked curiously.

"_That_." She pointed to the book in question.

"It's just a Biology book." He shrugged.

"Exactly. A Biology book filled with Biology notes that _you_ didn't take. Just like May." She nodded proudly. Ash looked baffled at her explanation then turned over to May to see a guilty expression on her face.

"Uh…thanks Kelly." She gave a soft glare. She cautiously turned to face Ash to see that still baffled look.

"Oh come on Ash don't look so shocked." She lightly punched him in the arm. He chuckled softly and returned to his 'homework.'

"Right." He shook his head at her.

"I see you have yet to pull out your unfinished homework May. Are we seeing a new development in your priorities?" Kelly asked inquisitively.

"Oh shut up! Just because you're a super nerd who knows the difference between photosynthesis and respiration doesn't mean a thing." May snapped, sticking her tongue out at the green. Kelly gasped in a faux manner.

"Oh! You _did_ take notes! I should record this for future references!" She pretended to reach into her bag for something, beckoning May to roll her eyes and nudge Ash in the side.

"This is what I have to deal with." He smiled and returned to his work once more.

.-.

Her fifth hour was always intense. She tried her hardest not to get distracted or even in trouble due to the many grade A class clowns that surrounded her. They never ceased to make her laugh out of controllably even about the most trivial things that she later reflected on and found them to be unbelievably stupid.

"Dude you are so stupid, you know that?" one of the clowns spoke with laughter hidden in his voice.

"No I'm not…I just don't apply myself…" the one he was addressing recoiled in his seat.

"What are you talking about? What are you applying for?" another one asked.

"He's not talking about jobs you idiot. He's talking about focusing in school." The last one added in an intellectual tone.

"You make me sick with your genius crap Tracey." Tracey shook his head and tried to look back at what the teacher was writing on the board. But he was distracted by the activity taking place in the row in front of him. There sat one of his friend, Tyson, planning something that would only end in disaster.

On Tyson's right side was May, an innocent, female student that he held some inkling of respect for. She too was trying to focus, but she would soon find that to be very difficult in a matter of seconds. On Tyson's left side was Paul. Paul is a very disturbing student who holds disregard for everything around him. Then came the last of the quartet. Drew. Drew was probably worse off than anyone else. He didn't really try at all. School was just a place to hang with friends.

'_Completely surrounded by idiots.'_ Tracey said to himself as he silently watched the events unfold. Tyson had positioned the pencil on his desk so that it would fall to the floor once he moved his arm in the right spot. This, unfortunately, distracted May long enough for Drew to snatch the worksheet she was working on and switch it with his that held inappropriate drawings.

Once she picked the pencil up from the floor, she handed it back to Tyson who grunted in gratitude. She rolled her eyes and went to return to her own work. But what she saw shocked her. Tyson then took the opportunity to gaze over at Drew's artwork and couldn't help but stifle a laugh.

"Having fantasies, are we?" he joked. May swiftly turned her head and met him with a cold glare.

"What the heck is this Tyson?" she asked angrily.

"Um, I prefer not to go into details about such vulgar images." He shrugged and pretended to return to his work. May growled at him and slammed the paper down on his desk.

"I know you had something to do with this. I'm not going to get in trouble like last time." She snarled. He merely gave her an innocent gaze and smiled.

"Don't play dumb!" she yelled, grabbing the attention of the teacher.

"Not this again! Why are you two always biting each other's heads off?" the teacher asked incredulously. He was soon in front of the desk, glaring at the two children. May was silently pleading that he would not look down at the paper and just continue to yell. But her prayers went unanswered.

"Why Ms. Maple, I had no idea that you had…uh…such artistic abilities. However…Mr. LaRousse seems to claim it." The teacher took the paper and shoved it in Drew's face, pointing to his name sketched on the top line.

"Drew you idiot." Tyson mumbled. Drew sighed and quickly took the paper from the teacher's hands and crumbled it into a ball. May giggled triumphantly and snatched back her paper from Drew's desk.

"Ha, ha!" May laughed in Tyson's face. He glared at her and turned back around, feeling a tad bit defeated. Tracey sighed from behind them and tried to ignore any further schemes from his three best friends. But he couldn't help but noticed how quiet Paul seemed. He then looked over to see him swaying back and forth with his head resting in his palm.

Formulating a plan, he grabbed Tyson's attention and beckoned for him to look over at the sleeping beauty in question. Tyson snickered to himself and silently moved over to where Paul was snoring lightly. Tyson then roughly moved the arm that was holding up Paul's head, causing the large dome to come crashing down on the desk in a big thud.

"I'm the unbeatable Pokémon Master!" he snapped up and yelled loudly in the silent classroom. When he lifted his head up, a piece of paper was stuck to his forehead causing the entire class to erupt in laughter including his so-called friends.

"Oh god Paul. I knew your obsession with Pokémon was deep but this is plain ridiculous!" Tyson roared with laughter. While May was laughing along with the rest of the class, Drew took the opportunity to throw the balled up piece of paper at her head. But at the last second she ducked causing the paper to hit Misty of the back on the head.

"Who the heck threw that?!" she asked, enraged. Tyson smiled widely looking over at Drew.

"You picked the wrong day to make her mad dude." Tyson pointed out. Drew gulped and recoiled in his seat again.

"Grr!" Misty then proceeded to stomp over to Drew and grabbed him by the collar.

"Control your woman, Drew." Tracey muttered, still trying to ignore the death that was about to take place.

"She's not my woman!" Drew yelled trying to squirm out of her tight grip.

"That's it! Drew and Misty, you two have detention and the next person that disrupts this class with get sent to the office!" the teacher roared. Misty reluctantly dropped Drew and returned to her seat, still fuming. Drew massaged his neck and silently cursed to himself about getting in trouble…again.

"Some punishment." Tyson rolled his eyes.

"Those two in detention alone? That gives them the perfect opportunity to do _other_ things." He muttered to May. She stared at him blankly.

"You are such a pervert." She rolled her eyes.

.-.

The walk home had been silent, which surprised her since she wasn't alone. Ash was with her, accompanying her home so he could retrieve his clothes from the previous weekend. May rolled her eyes and tried to walk as far away from his as possible. Why? He had his earphones lodged into his ears with rock music blasting. Not only that, but he doing the lamest thing ever; air guitar.

"Why…" May muttered as she looked back at him, mimicking the movements of a rock star. He even added the sound effects, much to her chagrin. Fed up with his embarrassing actions she stopped in front of him and snatched the earphones out, still able to hear the music coming from them. Ash stopped his antics and stared at her strangely.

"What is it May?" he asked with a smile on his face. May had to hold back the urge to smile back.

'_No May. This is the time to be serious. Don't fall victim to his cute smile…did I just say cute…?'_ she shook the thoughts from her head and grabbed the Ipod out of his pocket, causing protest from the boy.

"I forbid you from listening to anymore brain damaging music." She said as she turned the device off and began wrapping the earphone cord around it. He began to protest again but she held up her hand in offense.

"I don't want to hear it Mister. You've said and done enough for today." She gave a sweet smile and turned back around to continue the walk home.

"Fine. But I want that back just so you know." He muttered while lightly pushing her in the shoulder. But what assumed to be light turned out to be pretty hard.

She shrieked and slipped off the sidewalk and nearly went tumbling down the hill next to them but she caught herself. When Ash heard her scream, he went to help her but couldn't stop himself from running into her causing both of them to come tumbling down.

The end result left May falling on top of Ash's chest and him landing on the soft grass below. She cringed at the fall but open her eyes to meet the white fabric of Ash's shirt. She looked up on saw him wincing. She gasped and quickly got off of him, running to his arm that was still in a cast.

"You're arm. Does it still hurt?" she asked worriedly. He looked into her deep blue eyes and suddenly any pain that he was experiencing went away.

"No." he answered simply. She smiled and began to stand up but he pulled her back down. She questioned him with her eyes but all he did was point to the sky.

Up above were several white fluffy clouds. She too laid on her back and began gazing at them as well. She smiled and let the cool air smooth her and the sounds of nature calm her beating heart. She jumped slightly when she felt something touch her hand. She giggled softly when she felt it lightly tickle her.

"Heh, stop it Ash!" she giggled. He looked at her strangely.

"Stop what?" he asked. May looked at him and then down at her hand. There was a large caterpillar staring at her strangely. Her face paled when she looked at the brown fuzz ball covering most of her index finger.

"Ahh!" she shrieked, causing the poor creature to go flying in the opposite direction. May cradled her hand and began shivering. Ash couldn't help but laugh.

"It's not funny Ash." She yelled at him.

"No it's not funny. I'm sorry May." He stopped laughing and wrapped his unsprained arm around her shaking body. She stopped and stared at his warm smile.

"Yeah you better be." She smirked at him and laid back down in the grass. He followed suit, not removing his arm from her shoulder. May felt this feeling welling up inside of her that she couldn't describe.

**Kris: End of Chapter!**

**May: This one was kind of funny!**

**Ash: Yeah, no Gary!**

**All: w00t!**

**Gary: Shut up!**

**Kris: Ha! Hullo readers! This kind of a breaking point in the story where I just relieve you of the stress and drama that's going on. I added funny parts as well as Advanceshipping.**

**May: Cheese!**

**Ash: …And you called me weird.**

**May: Actually you called me weird.**

**Gary: You're both weird, how about that one?**

**Ash&May: Shut up!**

**Kris: Rawr! That's it, see you next time!**

**All: Review! 4 Sure!**

**R&R**


	16. Chapter 16

**Kris: Hi! Hi! Everyone! Wow, I've been saying that for a while now huh?**

**Gary: Yeah…why don't you try something new?**

**May: No way! It's tradition!**

**AJ: Yeah! Just like having us in the author notes.**

**Ash: Well sometimes it's good to break away from tradition.**

**May: Like how?**

**Gary: Arranged marriages used to be tradition, as well as polygamy. **

**Ash: And women couldn't have real jobs.**

**May: That wasn't tradition, that was cruelty!**

**Kris: I can't believe Ash and Gary are actually agreeing on something…I don't own pokémon.**

**AJ: We'll put up a poll to see if you should change the 'Hi! Hi!' to something else. But for now…**

**All: Start the party!**

What If

Chapter 16

The stare. There was nothing worse than the silent stare. It unnerved him. It made him shift uncomfortably in his seat. It made him swallow hard on his saliva. It made him repeatedly switch his gaze from side to side. It drove him crazy. Who knew the cold stare of a strange twelve year old could do _so_ much.

"Why are you always over here?" the glasses clad boy asked with a slight glare. Ash picked at the collar of his shirt as sweat began trickling down the side of his forehead.

"Uhm…I'm always invited?" he answered cautiously, as if every word he spoke would be wrong in the boys' eyes. Max nodded and crossed his arms. Both males were sitting in the front room of the Maple residence.

After May and Ash had arrived, she dropped Ash off at the door and rushed to the laundry room, leaving him with her menacing younger brother, who was cutting him no slack what so ever.

"You're over here almost as much as Gary. I don't like guys over my house, it's weird. Don't you agree?" he asked. Ash nodded and stared at the strange child.

"I guess." He shrugged. There was a sound from another part of the house as well as an a quiet 'ow' that alarmed Ash. He stood up from the uncomfortable couch and rubbed his back with a wince.

"May should've warned you about that couch." Max said as he began to ignore the boy and picked up the lone remote on the coffee table in front of him.

"She did." Ash said with a laugh. Max gave a short laugh and pressed a certain button that turned the TV on. Ash gave a small laugh as he began to follow the sounds coming from another part of the house. He went through the doorway of the front room and passed the kitchen only to enter a hallway with three doors. He already knew that one of them was May's room so he assumed the others to be bedrooms as well.

As he continued to walk down the hallway, the noise got louder. There was a door at the end of the hallway were the sound was coming room. He approached the door and held his ear up to it in order to get a better idea of what was going on in there. The only thing he could hear though, was a loud rumbling sound. The washing machine.

He was about to back away from the door but it suddenly swung open, causing him to fall forward. He quickly cradled his left arm before impact to avoid any unneeded pain. When he opened his eyes, he was met with the face of May. She was the one who had opened the door, causing him to fall. She had a surprised but frightened look on their face as they both fell, him on top of her.

Then they hit the ground with a soft thud, thanks to the pile of clean towels scattered across the floor. But Ash felt something touch his lips. He looked down to see him locked in a kiss with May. Both of their eyes were wide with shock. He couldn't pull himself up, due to his sprained. He struggled to prop his other arm up and get the momentum to roll over.

Once he was successful, the kiss ended. Both of them were panting on the their backs with evident blushes on their faces. May absentmindedly brought her hand up to her mouth and touched her still tingling lips with the tips of her fingers. She glanced over at Ash to see him panting and staring up at the ceiling.

She couldn't explain this feeling she developed in his stomach. It was like butterflies on a rampage within her but they were gentle butterflies. That's what really got her. Even though the kiss wasn't intended, it still felt right to her, which was strange. She never thought about Ash in _that_ way before. It made her think thoughts she had never thought before.

But she tried pushed those thoughts into the back of her mind. Her body shifting slightly, she let out a feel needed breath and began staring at the ceiling. The all white ceiling made her wonder. Not about the ceiling but about her life. She was going to be turning sixteen in a matter days and she wondered if everything she had done in the past years was really worth it.

She wondered about her family life, her social life and finally, her love life. She wondered if she had been a good daughter, a good friend, and a good girlfriend. She couldn't really judge the last one lest she be condemning herself.

'_I haven't been a good girlfriend…have I?' _ she said to herself.

'_I spend more time with Ash than I do with Gary. But I can't help it. We have every class together and we're always in situations where we kind of need to be together like now. But I'm unsure more than ever about Gary and me. That kiss…'_ she stopped in mid thought and gulped down hard causing her throat to hurt.

She rolled over to on her side so that she was facing Ash now. The first thing she noticed was the purple cast with several signatures on it. She smiled to herself looking at her own penmanship. Her gaze then traveled upward to the boy in question. His eyes were still locked to something up above him. She tried to see what he was seeing but didn't find anything of interest.

'_I need to talk to him. I'm mixed up and I have a good idea why but I just don't want to admit it…'_ she dropped her gaze for a second and took a deep breath.

"A-Ash?" she whispered lightly. She watched him blink once before he turned his head in her direction. She noticed the faint blush on his tan cheeks and wondered if her face looked the same.

"Yeah May?" he answered back, now looking at her straight on. Her gaze dropped again as she gather her thoughts.

"…About what just happened…I-" she started. He interjected before she could finish though.

"It was an accident, don't worry about it." He said quickly while sitting up. May acted on a n impulse and grabbed his arm began he had the chance to stand.

"Wait, I don't think it was an accident." She paused, staring at his confused look. "I think…it was supposed to happen." She admitted shamefully. Ash relaxed his muscles and stared at her incredulously.

"What are you trying to say, May?" he asked cautiously. He was trying to look for the answer in her eyes but she was hiding them.

"I don't know Ash. I wish I did, but I don't. I mean…Nevermind…" she stood up from the towels and dusted her skirt off. Ash watched as she moved away from him. He felt like she had let him hanging and it somewhat annoyed him. She moved to another part of the laundry room and bent down to pick something up. She came back up with a plastic sack with clothes in it.

"Here are your clothes back. I washed them for you." She handed him the bag with a slight smile. He could see the disturbance on her face as she held it out for him to take.

"Thanks. Look May I-"

"You said it was an accident and that's what it was. Forget what I was talking about." She interrupted with an almost shaky voice. He nodded and started for the door, leaving her by the rumbling washing machine. Then he stopped in the doorway, his right hand resting on the frame.

"That's just it May. I don't think it was an accident either." He said before he began walking down the hallway. May watched with wide eyes as he left and ran a hand through her hair before leaning on the washing machine.

.-.

The next day was not what she expected. She tried her hardest to forget happened in the laundry room but she just couldn't. As she walked down the crowded hallways of her school she kept thinking about how it felt. She kept thinking her beating heart and how fast it was going. She kept thinking about the feel of him on top of her. But most of all she kept thinking about what he said before he left.

'_That's just it May. I don't think it was an accident either…'_ she kept repeating those words in her head until she walked into her first hour and spotted him sitting at his desk, his head resting in his palm. She stopped walking when their gazes met. He wore a searching look while she copied his facial expression

"Dude, come on May. You can't just stop walking. You're blocking traffic, princess." She heard a voice snap behind her. Tyson. She glared at him and kept walking getting closer to her seat, which was conveniently next to Ash. She sat her bag down next to her chair and sat down. She then began unpacking the things she needed for class when she felt a hand on her left forearm.

She looked up to see Ash with a knowing smile on his face. At that moment she knew that everything was going to be okay, despite the mixed feelings she had. She smiled back and placed his right hand over his and gave a small squeeze. There was something about his smile that made her feel right with the world. She couldn't describe but it just did.

'_He's got some kind of magic touch to him or something…'_ she laughed to herself and waited for the bell to ring.

.-.

The rest of the day went by pretty fast. Her other classes were alright aside from the unavoidable conversation she over heard with Tyson and Drew. Apparently his detention with Misty was the night before. Some things were done when the teacher stepped out of the room momentarily. May resisted the urge to cover her ears as the conversation went on. But other than that, her day was relatively decent.

She thought she would feel awkward around Ash after what happened but she didn't. Instead she felt awkward around Gary. To her, every time he looked at her she would be reminded of how bad she felt about what happened even though it was 'technically' an accident.

She gave a sigh of relief when she reached the front door of her house and unlocked it, stepping inside and being welcomed by the smell of a home. She dropped her bag off on the couch and walked into the kitchen. She opened up the refrigerator door and peered inside. She skimmed through the shelves and finally came upon a cup of strawberry yogurt that literally had her name it. She smiled and pulled it out, closing the fridge door.

She then walked over to the one of the counter draws and pulled it open, quickly spotting a spoon. She picked it up and closed the door with her hip. She carried the yogurt in spoon in her hand, thinking of how bad she wanted to eat it as she made her way to her room. She walked through the door and was immediately met by the cool breeze from the outside world. Her window was open.

Her eyes quickly scanned the room. Everything was in place. Normal seemed out of the ordinary at all. She relaxed her body and walked over to her bed. She sat down and peeled the plastic cover off of the yogurt cup and licked it clean.

"Mmhmm! Yogurt is so good!" she squealed with delight. Just as she was about to dip her spoon into the yogurt, her phone rang. She sat down her snack and walked over to the landline phone and picked it up, pressing the talk button.

"Hello?" she started.

"_May? Hey, I didn't get to really see you today." _ Gary answered. May mentally cursed to herself.

"Yeah. It seemed like the day went by so fast. So what are you doing?" she asked half-heartedly.

"_Getting ready to come over." _He answered. She could tell from his tone of voice that he was smiling.

"You are huh?" she said. She didn't know what to tell him.

"_Yep. In fact, I'm already here."_ She turned around to see him standing at her window with a phone held up to his ear. He stepped inside as she hung up the phone. He walked over to her and engulfed her in a tight hug. When he pulled back, he kissed her forehead and smiled.

"We're taking it one step at a time okay?" he said. He took her hand in his and swung it back and forth.

"O-Okay." She mentally smacked herself for sounding so unsure. She felt uncomfortable when he stared at her strangely.

"Is everything alright? You seem like you're nervous about something." He asked. She blinked twice before answering.

"Actually…there is something that I feel like I should tell you." She began.

**Kris: Sorry but this is the end.**

**Gary: You're giving them a cliffhanger?**

**Kris: Yah…sorry!**

**AJ: Gee whiz!**

**Kris: I apologize for the mistakes I didn't get a chance to check it thoroughly. Trying to meet a deadline here! =]**

**May: Next Friday!**

**Ash: You know it!**

**All: Bye! 4 Sure!**

**R&R**


	17. Chapter 17

**Kris: Hi! Hi! Everyone! Thank you to all who voted in the polls!**

**May: What do the results look like?**

**Kris: Um…I'm not authorized to tell you that.**

**May: Wha…**

**Kris: Where are the guys?  
**

**May: How should I know?**

**Kris: I thought you kept tabs on Ash.**

**May: Yeah, but he ripped them off.**

**Kris: Wow, he **_**is**_** smarter than he looks.**

**Ash: Hey!**

**Kris: Where did you come from? And before you answer, that was a rhetorical question.**

**Ash: …Which is…?**

**Kris: Oh Latias…I'm not the owner of pokémon.**

**All: Start the party!**

**Ash: I still don't know what a rhetorical question is…**

**Kris: …Get out.**

What If

Chapter 17

"Well, what is it?" Gary asked, taking a seat on her bed. May shifted uncomfortably before deciding to sit next to him. She sat on his left side, slightly fidgeting with her fingers. She hadn't realized how nervous she was about telling him until the opportunity was presented to her.

'_Come on May. Get a hold of yourself. Being a bad girlfriend is one thing but kissing another guy and not telling your boyfriend is just wrong.'_ She said to herself.

'_But it was an accident, I didn't mean to kiss Ash.'_ Another part of her argued.

'_He doesn't know that. He'll probably be more understanding if you take the opportunity to tell him now. Just approach it delicately.'_ She nodded to herself and turned slightly so she was now facing him.

"I…I kissed Ash." She blurted out.

'_I said delicately!'_ she screamed to herself.

"But it wasn't a really kiss!" she quickly recovered, holding up her hands in defense.

"I was in the laundry room getting his clothes and when I opened the door to leave, he fell on top of me and our lips touched for like five seconds." She explained. She was nervous and relieved at the same time. She was relieved that she couldn't read the look on his face but nervous about said look that was hidden from her.

"I'm sorry." She bowed her head in shame. Then she waited. She waited for any sign of emotion from him. Anger, sadness, and possibly humor but she didn't think he'd be crazy enough to laugh.

"It's all right." He responded, standing up from the bed, his face still unreadable. He took a step towards the window in order to leave.

"Gary wait!" she lightly tugged at his arm, beckoning him to stop.

"This just made things worse didn't it?" she sighed and let go of his arm.

"I didn't mean to. I swear! It just happened and I felt like you had the right to know so…" her voice trailed off. She sighed in defeat and stared hopelessly at his back. He didn't budge.

"You know," he started.

"I'm glad you told me." He turned around to face her. May was surprised to see a smile on his face, but she could tell right away that it wasn't _his_ smile. It was an unusual smile for him. But she smiled back and stood up to face him.

"Good." She lightly punched him in the chest and giggled.

"What do you want to do?" she asked, falling back on the bed and picking up her yogurt that she had discarded either to answer the phone. He shrugged and stuffed his hands in his pockets. He began walking around her room looking at various objects. He stopped when he came upon her DVD collection.

"You want to watch a movie?" he asked, picking up a single DVD case and examining its cover.

"Sure! That sounds like fun." She shot up from her bed and joined him at looking through her DVD's.

"What do you want to watch?" she asked. Gary pulled out one that hadn't been opened yet. The price tag and the clear wrapping was still on it.

"How about this one?" He asked holding it up. May looked at it closely before deciding.

"Taken? What's it about? Have you seen it before?" she asked as he began wrapping it.

"Yeah I've seen bits and pieces of it. It's kind of like an action movie with a lot of suspense and tactical moments." He started.

"This guys daughter goes to Paris but she gets kidnapped and he has to save her. The dude is crazy tough. It's a good movie." He finished.

"Sounds okay to me. Do you want to watch it here or at your place?" she asked again.

"Um…when's your mom going to be home?" he asked. No soon did he ask did they hear May's front door open as well as the clicked of heels sound through the house.

"Right now. And Max is with her." May answered with a short laugh.

"Let's go to my place." He whispered to her with a smile.

"Isn't your dad there?" she asked.

"Yeah but he'll be in his office until dinner time. Like always." Gary shrugged. May nodded and tossed the empty yogurt cup in the trashcan.

"Okay. I just need to tell my mom then we can go." She answered with a smile as she left the bedroom.

.-.

the evening pressed on, as was expected. May stayed over Gary's house a little longer than she had intended. But she hadn't planned on falling asleep on his couch, at least not half way into the movie anyway. Of course he didn't mind, in fact he considered the way she slightly mumbled in her sleep to be cute. But he couldn't help the feeling he got in the pit of his stomach when he heard her murmur the name 'Ash' in her deep slumber.

'_Why is she dreaming about him? I don't mean to sound jealous or anything but…'_ he thought to himself as he continued to stare at her sleeping form.

The two teenagers were seating on a large gray couch with room for about four people all together. The room they were occupying was a cozy size with navy blue wallpaper and red carpet on the floor. Among the couch were two armchairs as well as a television set and entertainment center.

The television had a 42'' screen with a DVD player on the side of it. There were two large black speakers as well; one on the right and one on the left. All in all, the room was a nice hangout if one wanted to…well…hangout.

May begun to stir in her sleep as Gary checked the time on his mobile phone. He pocketed the device and resorted back to watching the movie. There was about fifteen minutes left of the film and he hoped to see every last seconds of it. May had laid her head in his lap when she fell asleep and every now and then she was turn over and breath out a sigh.

Gary absentmindedly stroked her hair until she stirred again. This time she mumbled Ash's name again. He developed a frown on his face and gazed upon the sleeping girl. He wondered what she could possibly be dreaming about that would cause her to repeatedly say his name like that. And him of all people.

'_I don't have a problem with Ash. She's just been spending a lot of time with him, I mean if hadn't have been over her house in the first place, they wouldn't have kissed…right? Maybe that's what she's dreaming about…' _he went back to stroking her hair silently.

May began frowning in her sleep as she clutched the closest thing she could in her hand. It just so happened to be Gary's hand that she was holding while struggling in her sleep.

Her eyes flickered slightly as she woke up from her slumber. She exhaled deeply and clutched Gary's hand tighter. She took her other hand and brought it up to her eye to rub the sleep out of them. She soon felt Gary's fingers running through her hair. Each time he did it, it sent shivers down her spine.

"Gary…" she whispered, squirming slightly.

"Mhmm…" he replied slightly.

"…" she paused and released his hand, slowly sitting up with her legs curled beneath her.

"What is it?" Gary asked, turning his attention from the movie back to her.

"It's nothing, I'm just tired I guess. It's time to go home." She said, giving a fake yawn. Gary gave her a skeptical look and paused the movie. He stared at her tired form and grabbed her hand again, beckoning her to face him.

"What's wrong?" she asked, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. He gave her hand a small squeeze as his gaze dropped.

"Gary…?" May asked again.

"No matter what happens, if this relationship thing doesn't work out or whatever. I just want you to know that you'll always be my best friend and I love you." He admitted with a smile. She couldn't help but smile back. Because at that moment, he was the Gary she remembered from so long ago.

"Oh!" she wrapped her arms around him and squeezed tightly. It had been such a long time since he talked to her like she was more than just the girl next door. She missed him dearly.

May pulled back to wipe a few lingering tears from her eyes. He laughed at her somewhat emotional breakdown and placed a hand on her cheek.

"It's been a long time since you said something like that to me. I missed that part of you." She admitted.

"I'll try to bring him around more often. You know, see what I can do." He shrugged with a smirk. May playfully shoved him and laughed lightly. He chuckled inwardly and watched as she stood up and slid her shoes on.

"You want to walk me to my window?" she asked with a laugh. Gary nodded and walked her to the door. Once they exited the room, they entered a brightly lit the hallway. The light caused the two teenagers and wince slightly from the light.

Down the hallway they went until they approached an open door. May slipped in before Gary and flipped the light switch on that sat by the door. The room was lit up suddenly. The walls were green with white carpet on the floor. In the far right corner of the room sat a twin sized bed with dark green colored linen. In other parts of the room sat a mahogany wood desk accompanied by a lamp, as well as a bean bag chair and television set.

"You're room hasn't changed a bit." May commented. Gary gave a short laugh as he walked toward the window and opened it.

"Has it really been _that_ long since you've been over here?" he asked, stepping outside.

"Yeah. You're always over my house, not the other way around." She laughed while following him out. Soon they were a short distance away from May's house. They continued to walk the small distance in silence until they reached the adjacent window.

"It was very gentlemen-like you to walk me to my open window." She said with a giggle. He bowed slightly and began walked over to her. She cautiously backed up until her back hit the outside of her house.

"Gary…you're creeping me out again." She gave a nervous laugh. He smiled and reached out to her. She gulped down hard once she realized what he was about to do. She wanted so badly to hold out her hand and stop him but she promised that she'd try no matter how much it made her uncomfortable.

"Um…Gary…" she started. She could literally feel her beating out of her chest. With each passing second, his face inched closer to hers. It was driving her insane. She closed her eyes, waiting for impact. She was silently wishing that this kiss would be like when he confessed a few days ago.

But when she felt his lips on hers, she immediately got the urge to pull away. His hands traveled from his sides to her waist where they pulled her closer to his body. She felt her face heating up as the kiss continued. But she also felt his hands traveling up her back. She forcefully pulled back and stared at him.

"What are you doing?" She asked incredulously. He stared at her with dull eyes and reached down to kiss her again.

"Gary, stop. What do you like you're doing?" she asked while holding him back.

"I'm kissing my girlfriend goodbye." He said with a shrug.

"No, you're going a bit too far. I thought you said we were going to take it slow." She argued.

"I don't want to take it slow anymore May." He protested, trying to kiss her again.

"Well I do. We went over this." She looked at him with a disappointed glare. Gary sighed and reluctantly let go of her. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and turned his attention away from his scowl.

"Fine." He said. May sighed as well.

"Gary, don't do this." She pleaded with him.

"No, you want to take it slow so I'm going to take it slow. Goodnight Ms. Maple." He saluted to her and began walking away. May gave a huff and crossed her arms over her chest.

"You are so childish." She yelled before backing up against her wall again and sliding down it. She held her head up high and brought her knees up to her chest, hugging herself.

'_Is this really what I want?'_ she asked herself.

**Kris: I'M SORRY!**

**May: Okay…whoa?**

**Ash: Such a weenie…**

**Gary: Right…**

**Kris: Omg! I'm so late, I had a deadline and I was unable to fulfill it! I feel so disappointed in myself! You must hate me!**

**May: They don't hate you!**

**Ash: Sure they might be a tad ticked off,**

**Gary: Or impatient, but they surely don't hate you.**

**Kris: You think so?**

**All: Of course!**

**Kris: Okay, I'm sorry for the lateness!**

**All: Review! 4 Sure!**

**R&R**


	18. Chapter 18

**Kris: Hi! Hi! Everyone!**

**Gary: Heh…I just realized something.**

**May: What?**

**Gary: Ash wasn't in the last chapter!**

**All: Oh! Haha!**

**Ash: What?! How come when Gary's not in the latest chapter no one laughs?**

**Gary: I told you, I'm a jerk and everybody loves me.**

**Kris: Not true. Someone do the disclaimer!**

**Gary: Who died and made you ruler?**

**Kris: Excuse me, designated question asker. I believe I told Someone to do the disclaimer.**

**Someone: That's right! KrystalClear101 is not the owner of pokémon.**

**Gary: What the heck?! Who is that?**

**All: Someone!**

**Gary: Oh geez…**

What If

Chapter 18

The sight before the Maple Family was horrid, to say the least. Max could barely keep his cereal from falling out of his mouth. Caroline had absentmindedly dropped her spatula and let it fall to the floor. And Norman, Norman couldn't finish reading the morning sports page. The three finally snapped out of their daze when a series of sneezes sounded throughout the house.

"Oh May. You look awful." Caroline said worriedly as she approached the girl.

"Thanks mom. That makes me feel a whole lot better." May rolled her eyes. Caroline began to examine her daughter; red nose, flushed cheeks, tired eyes, unkempt hair. All the symptoms of cold.

"Dear, you are sick." Her mother explained. She placed her hand on the girls' forehead and pulled it back.

"And you're burning up." Caroline wiped her hands on her apron and smiled weakly and the ill girl.

"It's swine flu!" Max shouted, pointing at his sister jokingly. May shot a nasty glare in his direction. He cringed and sunk down in his seat.

"Do you think you can make it to school and through the day?" May stared at her mother incredulously.

"Are you serious?" May asked.

"You've never missed a day. Do you want to ruin you're perfect attendance?" Caroline asked, returning to the kitchen to pick up her fallen spatula.

"Forget perfect attendance! I feel like I'm about to die!" May rambled.

"You're not going to die. But I think you can make it. Now go get ready for school." May silently glared at her mother before marching/stumbling back to her room.

"Ugh! I feel like crap…" May grumbled. She lazily walked to her closet and pulled out her uniform and laid it on her bed, preparing to get dressed.

KNOCK KNOCK

"May? It's dad." She heard from the other side of the door.

"Come in!" she responded. Soon her father was standing in her room.

"Hey, it's my day off. What do you say we go shopping for your birthday tomorrow?" he offered. May pondered for a second before answering.

"I know my birthday is tomorrow, but where is this coming from dad?" she asked suspiciously. He gave a sigh and took a seat on her bad.

"Truthfully? I think it sucks that your mom is making you go to school when you're sick. Plus we haven't hung out in awhile." He explained with a shrug.

"Wait. Are you going to be picking me up from school then?" she asked hopefully.

"That is correct." He stated proudly.

"Then I happily accept you terms Father." She grinned widely.

"Alright then kiddo, I'll pick you up at lunchtime." He said while ruffling her brown hair.

"Thanks daddy." She tightly hugged him around his torso.

"Now get ready for school and don't tell your mom." He placed a finger to his lips as he closed the door behind him.

"I expect the same conditions for my birthday." His second child, Max, walked by having heard the entire conversation.

"Oi…" Norman gave a sigh as he walked away.

.-.

"You must really like school to come in your state." Kelly shook her head when she saw May sitting at their morning table. May smiled weakly before coughing softly.

"Did your mom make you come?" Brianna asked. May nodded while wiping her nose. She stared absentmindedly at the stairs, oblivious to all the students walking down them.

"What's wrong with her?" she heard the voice of Ash.

"Sick like a dog." Kelly replied.

"Then why is she here?" Ash asked, staring at the girl.

"Her mom made her come." Brianna said.

"Sucks for you." Ash gave a short laugh.

"Go away." May swatted at him with a lazy arm.

"Go away." Ash mocked her with a grin. May whined softly and laid her head down on her folded arms.

"Awh! The little May is sick." Kelly couldn't help but laugh as Ash continued. May mumbled something that was hard to decipher.

"What?" Ash asked still teasing her. May quickly lifted her head and stood to meet him eye to shoulder because of the difference in height.

"I…hate you…" she poked him in the chest with a weak finger. She soon regretted standing up so fast for she began to fall backwards. That is until Ash caught her and pulled her forward.

"Hate is a very strong word." He replied, still holding her wrist.

"So…what?" May replied. Ash smiled at her lazy antics.

"I'm taking her to the nurse." He said, going behind her and pushing her forward. He gave a wave to Kelly and Brianna.

"But school hasn't even started." She protested.

"You shouldn't even be here." He argued back.

"But Ash!" She whined again. May removed his hands from her back and turned to face him. They were at the foot of the stairs.

"But nothing. That's what friends are for." He explained. Once he pushed the humor aside in the situation he actually felt sorry for the girl that stood beside him with the red cheeks.

"What happened to the guy who was laughing at me like a heartless jerk?" she asked with a smile.

"That guy just so happens to _have_ a heart." He gave a shrug. May laughed and let her head fall into his chest, unaware of how it was affecting him.

"There's no way I'm going to make it up those stairs." She whispered, barely conscious.

"I'm well aware of that." He slowly pushed her off and knelt before her, his back turned.

"You know I'm only agreeing to this because 75 percent of my brain is still on my pillow right?" she said while climbing on his back. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he secured his arms around her legs.

"Whatever floats your boat." He slightly turned to face her.

"What if you get sick?" she asked.

"Then we'll be sick together." He responded.

"You have an answer for everything don't you?" she buried herself in his back.

"Just about." Soon they were at the top of the stairs. May noticed Ash wincing everything now and then.

"You're arm. It still hurts doesn't it? Yet you keep pushing yourself. One of these days Ash Ketchum…you…you're going to…meh…" her voice trailed off, ending her rant. Ash smiled until he began to hear whispers all around him.

'_I smell controversy brewing.'_ He said to himself as he tried to ignore the stares from his so called peers. He sucked in his teeth and pushed forward, mentally preparing himself for whatever might come his way. May on the other hand was slipping in and out of sleep. She was completely oblivious to the world around her and didn't have a clue as to what was going on.

"May? What should I do if we see Gary along the way?" Ash asked cautiously. Silence. He tried to turn his head back but couldn't. "May?" He called again. Still no answer. He sighed and bent down to put her down on the floor. He unhooked her arms from around his neck and turned to face her. Her flushed innocent look made his heart skip a beat.

'_She looks different when she's asleep…'_ he thought to himself. But he quickly shook that thought away and pulled out his cell phone. Something didn't sit right with him about taking May to the nurse. He felt as if it wasn't his place to do so.

'_Am I exceeding the lines of a friend? It's not my job to take care of her, it's Gary's isn't it? But…'_ he stopped what he was doing and stared at the sleeping girl before him. He couldn't help but act on an impulse whenever it involved her. When he was with May his mind went into 'Act first, question later' mode and there was nothing he could do about it.

'_Maybe just this once I'll leave it up to him…'_ with that he sent Gary a text message asking where he was. The vibration he felt from his pocket was an indication that he had gotten a reply.

"_Hey, I'm in the office. Why?"_ the brunette replied.

"_May's sick and she needs to go to the nurse. Do you want me to take her or do you?" _Ash sent the next message and pocketed his phone once more, waiting for the reply. He then switched his gaze over to May who wore a distressed expression. He placed the back of his hand on her forehead and let it sit there for a few seconds.

'_She's so soft, even when she's running a temperature.'_ He laughed to himself and drew his hand back to check his most recent message.

"_Bring her to the nurse and I'll meet you down there. Thanks!" _Ash nodded and went to wake up May. She stirred a bit and awoke with a look of irritation.

"What…?" she whined as Ash pulled her up.

"We're meeting Gary at the nurse, okay?" he said as he turned so she could get back on. She grunted and wrapped her arms around his neck again. Once she was secured and started back down the hallway again, brushing passed the rest of the student in the school.

"Why?" she asked, thirty seconds later.

"Er…he's concerned." He shrugged, hoping she wouldn't catch him in his lie. She murmured something incoherent causing him to just shrug. Soon the door of the nurse's office was in sight.

"We're here." Ash reminded the girl. She seemed a lot more grumpier than before for she merely grunted again. The door opened just as they approached it. Gary was standing there holding the door open so Ash could enter. May was now wide-awake, silently wishing she was asleep. When she caught sight of Gary he smiled slightly. She merely turned her head away.

"You can sit her down over her young man." The sweet voice of Nurse Joy enter the room. She wore a gentle smile on her face as she led Ash over to a clean white bed. He turned and let May down so she was sitting up. She absentmindedly stared ahead of her, not fully aware of her surroundings.

"Why don't you two wait outside for a bit, okay?" Nurse Joy suggested while leading them out of the back room. They nodded and went to wait in the main part of the office. There were three chairs sitting in front of the nurse's desk that they decided to sit in.

'_Well this is awkward…'_ Ash thought to himself as he switched his gaze to the side. Gary rested his elbows on his knees, wanting to bury his head in his hands from all the thoughts racing through his head.

'_He's always there. Always. It's like…she needs him more than she needs me but…'_ he tried to shake those thoughts from his head but it was proving to be very difficult for him.

**Kris: …**

**May: What's wrong Kris?**

**Kris: …**

**Ash: Er…What's her problem?**

**Gary: She's having an internal battle with herself.**

**May: Heh, like you were having at the end of the chapter?**

**Gary: …Shut up.**

**Kris: I'm a horrible person…**

**Gary: Of course you are!**

**May: Gary!**

**Gary: What? I'm just agreeing with her!**

**Ash: Jerk…**

**R&R**


	19. Chapter 19

**Kris: Hi! Hi! Everyone!**

**AJ: Whoosh! Whoosh!**

**Kris: Er…what?  
**

**Mikey: We haven't been here in ages!**

**AJ: Whoosh! Whoosh!**

**Kris: More like a couple chapters.**

**Mikey: Whatever! It's August now! AUGUST!**

**Kris: I know what friggin month it is you fruitcake! And cut that out AJ!**

**AJ: Whoosh…oops…my bad.**

**Kris: Anyway, I apologize for not bringing you guys here more often. I love you guys.**

**All: Yay!**

**Kris: I am not the owner of Pokémon so don't sue.**

**AJ: Even though suing is so much fun! =)**

**All: Start the party!**

**Mikey: Why do we always have parties?**

**Kris: …Get out.**

What If

Chapter 19

"What was the point of sending her to school if she was just going to spend the whole day in the Nurse's office?" a male voice asked with confusion hidden in his tone. May blinked her eyes slowly. The first image she saw was that of her father talking on his cell phone.

"Alright, alright. I'm taking her home. Yes, I have all of her assignments for the day. You make it seem like this is my first day being a parent." He scoffed. May smiled slightly. She looked around a bit more and noticed she was lying on a bed with white curtains on both sides.

"Right. Love you too. Bye." He hung up and sighed before turning to face his daughter. He blinked twice when he noticed that she was fully awake and staring at him. He took a seat on the bed and smiled down on her.

"Hey dad." She muttered quietly as she sat up slowly. Her head started spinning as soon as she did though. She had to paused for a moment and hold onto her head before any external damage was done.

"Take it easy kiddo." He said urgently as he gently pushed her back down on the bed. She nodded and raised a weak hand to her forehead. She frowned at how damp it was and got the urge to wash her face. At the moment, she had a lot of urges and one of them was to go home as soon as possible.

"I already have all your stuff that you're going to miss today so we can leave whenever you're ready." He smiled and stood up, picking up her backpack from the floor and slinging it over his shoulder.

She nodded and sat up again. The feeling of dizziness wasn't as bad as it was the first time so she was able to sit up and swing her legs over to the side of the bed, albeit slowly. Once she had planted her feet on the ground, she pushed off from the bed and shakily stood up. She picked up her tote bag from the floor and placed it on her shoulder. Norman was wary of her actions and watched her as her legs stopped wobbling and she took a slow step toward him.

"I'm ready." She beamed as cheerfully as a girl in her condition could. Her father smiled apologetically and slung his arm around her shoulder in order for her to keep her balance. Soon they were out of the nurse's office and walking down the quiet halls of Pallet High. The time was about 8:32, meaning that the students' first hour had just begun. May sighed inwardly as she recalled what had actually happened this morning. Then she tensed.

'_What if dad saw Ash and Gary?! Darn! I never did tell my parents that Gary and I started dating yet. What's he gonna say?'_ she thought to herself as she lifted her head to look at him. His gaze was forward and he wore his usual warm smile. Feeling her eyes on him and turned to face to girl and smiled again. May couldn't help but return the gesture while feeling nervous at the same time.

As soon as they stepped out of the doors of the school, May's mood brightened up somewhat. They was her dad's car, in all its glory, calling her name. Norman opened the door for her and she climbed inside and sunk into the comfortable seat. He closed her door and opened up the back door, tossing her backpack on the back seat. He then walked over to the drivers side and opened the door to get in.

"We're almost home free." He said. May nodded and let her head fall back on the head rest. The sound of the car humming was somewhat of a lullaby as she drifted off to sleep once more. Or at least she tried to until her dad asked her a question she had been dreading.

"So, what were Ash and Gary doing in the nurse's office this morning?" he asked as he pulled out of the school's parking lot. She moaned audibly and gave her father a death glare.

"Hey, I'm being a concerned parent." He defended himself. "I just want to know what they were doing in there. Were they there for you?" he asked, making a right turn.

"Yes." She replied in a groggy voice.

"I see. Now May, you know how I feel about boys but since you're getting older I'm being more lenient. It's not Gary that I have a problem with since he already comes over practically everyday. It's Ash." He said. May gave him a strange look, beckoning him to continue.

"I'm not saying that I don't trust him, I just don't know him. But if he meets your standards then he must be a pretty decent guy." He concluded.

"He is." May added, staring out the window at the cloudy sky. There was a blanket of white that covered the entire sky, making it impossible to see the bright, shining sun. That fact made May feel all the more worse. She sighed and slumped in her seat.

"I'm not going to warn you about…you know because I know when it comes down to it, you'll make the right decision. Just don't get pressured into doing anything and remember your boundaries. That's all I can say right now because I know you'll be taking the world by storm in a couple of years…and that scares me." He muttered those last few words. May nodded with a small smile on her face.

The rest of the ride was fairly silent. May continued to stare out the window, looking at all the houses and buildings in Pallet. It was a small town, yes, but it was her small town and she loved it. She smiled to herself and rested her forehead on the cold window and closed her eyes. The cool window felt good against her heated forehead.

When she opened her eyes, she was met by the familiar steps of her house as they pulled into the drive way. She lifted up her head and giggled at the spot she left on the window, knowing her dad would be ticked because of it. But she shrugged it off and opened up the door after he turned the car off.

Without a second thought she picked up her tote bag and slowly stepped out of the car. She shut the door behind her and began fishing through her bag for her keys. When she found them, she started up the stairs, taking them one step at a time until she reached the door. She the stuck the key in the hole and turned it to the right until a clicking noise was heard and she opened the door to be met by the smell of her home.

"Finally…" she sighed and immediately shot towards her room. Norman smiled at her actions as he set her backpack down by the front door and shut it.

.-.

"Alright kiddo, you've been asleep for most of the day and you haven't taken any kind of medicine." Norman said as he stepped into her room with a tray of soup, a glass of water, and a few pills. May grumbled and turned over to face him with her eyes squinted.

"What time is it?" she mumbled as she sat up groggily and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Norman sat the tray beside her and stood by the door.

"It's quarter 'til four." He said. May's eyes slightly widened. He nodded and left the room. She slowly got out of bed to shut the door. May looked down and noticed that she was still wearing her school uniform. With a sigh, she walked over to her drawers to put on some more comfortable clothes.

"Achoo!" she sneezed into the air and rubbed her nose.

"Bless you." She whipped around at the sound of that voice and immediately regretted it. She felt a sharp pain in her head that made her lose her balance and fall on her bottom. At the sound of footsteps, she looked up to find Gary standing before her with a concerned look on his face.

"Maybe I should stop surprising you like that." He offered a smile and his hand down to her. She smirked and took his hand while he pulled her up.

"It takes me falling on my butt for you to finally realize that?" she asked with a weak smile. He nodded and looked at her with his concerned looked again.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

"Better, now that I got the chance to sleep most of it off. But my head still hurts." She admitted as she turned back to her drawer and pulled out a t-shirt and some pajama pants.

"That's good. You kind of scared me." May stared at him strangely before replying.

"Gary, it's just a cold. I'm not going to die." She gave a laugh which then erupting into a series of coughs. "Yet." She muttered and laid the clothes on the bed before sitting down. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked down at the bed.

May stared at him before picking up the pills from the tray and swallowing them. She then picked up the glass of water and drank most of it before sitting it back down. She blew up her bangs and looked at the soup warily. It was plain chicken noodle, which was to be expected but the thing that set her off was her father's lack of cooking skills. He could some how manage to mess up even the simplest things.

She gulped audibly and picked up the spoon. Gary switched his gaze from the bed to her. He smirked and sat down next to her. May looked over at his taunting expression and frowned, placing the spoon back in the soup.

"Did your dad make that?" he asked with laughter in his voice. May nodded and placed her hands in her lap. Gary chuckled and put a hand on her shoulder.

"As if you weren't sick enough." He joked. She only managed to glare at him with a smile on her face. Any other time she would've swatted him and kicked him out of her room but she just didn't have the energy at the time.

"Give him a break." She said in a low voice. He laughed one more time before he removed his hand and just sat there, staring off into space. He jumped up slightly when she dropped her head on his shoulder. He looked down on her with surprise in his eyes but smiled and grabbed her hand.

"You know you're going to have to leave pretty soon." She said in a low voice as she played with his fingers.

"Why is that?" he asked, looking at their intertwined hands.

"I have to change my clothes. I didn't get them out just to stare at them you know." She said with a laugh.

"I still don't see why I have to leave." He joked.

"Pervert." She muttered and squeezed his hand tightly, causing him to wince.

"Even when you're sick you're still strong." She smiled and loosened her grip. He gave a sigh of relief and rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb.

"Hey Gary?" she started, shivering at the way his thumb grazed her hand.

"Hmm?" he answered.

"Thanks for coming over. I know I complain about you being here all the time but I always have fun when I'm with you." She said. He smiled at the comment and leaned his head on hers.

"Where's this coming from?" he asked. She shrugged.

"I don't know. I guess I feel bad about how much you're putting in to this relationship." She frowned and gripped his hand tighter. His smiled faded as he thought about what she said.

"You shouldn't feel bad. You can't help what you feel." He reassured her.

"I know but you can't help what you feel either, right?" she asked, looking up at him. He returned the gaze and frowned at her worried expression.

"No, I can't. But I don't want you get hurt." He said. May gave him a hard look before pulling her hand away.

"Don't put my feelings before yours." She demanded, crossing her arms. He just stared at her strangely.

"Why not?" he asked, incredulously.

"Because…" her voice trailed off as she stood up and walked towards the door with her back turned to him. He smirked and stood up as well. Once he reached her, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and smiled.

"I've never been good with following directions." He remarked.

"I know." She replied, giving him a sideward glance. She turned around to face him and leaned into his torso. "Just…ugh! I don't know what to say." She clenched her eyes tightly and frowned.

"How about, 'bye Gary' and 'I'll see you tomorrow?'" he said. She looked up at his usual smirked and smiled as well.

"Bye Gary, I'll see you tomorrow." She said.

"That's the smile I like to see." He ruffled her hair lightly and planted a kiss on her forehead. "I'll call you later, get better okay?" he called before stepping out the window.

"Okay." She nodded, watching him leave. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair before picking up her clothes and staring at them. Shutting her window and closing her curtains, May changed from her uniform and into her pajamas.

Once that was done, she sat down on the bed and finished off the glass of water that was sitting on the tray. She sat there in silence until the familiar sound of her ringtone reached her ears. Fumbling through her tote bag, she finally picked up her phone and looked at the screen.

'_Incoming call: Ash Ketchum'_

She stared at the screen for a good five seconds before making her decision. With a sigh, she pressed the green button on her phone and held it up to her ear.

"Hello?' she answered.

**Kris: Hey! Watch where you point that thing!**

**Mikey: What? It's just a butter knife.**

**Kris: Yah, a butter knife on steroids.**

**AJ: You would bring us back in the chapter where there's a cliffhanger. Do you want the readers to blame it on us?**

**Kris: Why yes…yes I do. Hello readers! The cliffhanger is AJ & Mikey's fault!**

**AJ & Mikey: Hey!**

**Kris: I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Wow, this almost took a whole month. I'm sorry.**

**AJ: Yeah well, you should be.**

**Kris: Jerk much?**

**AJ: Whatever…**

**Kris: The next chapter won't be on August 31, I promise. I'll get started on it right away. As always…**

**All: Thanks for reading! 4 Sure!**

**R&R**


	20. Chapter 20

**Kris: Hi! Hi! Geez! I keep forgetting to check the poll to see if I should keep saying that or not.**

**AJ: Boo! You stink!**

**Kris: Why are you so mean?**

**Mikey: Good plus good equals bad.**

**AJ: How'd you figure that?**

**Mikey: Look at 2 plus 2, it equals 4. Therefore, 4 is bad.**

**Kris: How are 4 bad?**

**Mikey: Just look at it! 4.**

**Kris: 4 is not bad, I use it at the end of every chapter.**

**Mikey: Well…4 by itself is bad. I much prefer 3.**

**AJ: You're not making any sense. KrystalClear101 doesn't own Pokémon.**

**Kris: There you have it!**

**All: Start the party!**

**Mikey: 4 is evil!**

**Kris: I thought I told you to get out!**

What If

Chapter 20

"_May? Hey! Are you feeling any better?"_ May smiled at the sound of his cheerful voice.

"Yeah. I'm feeling a little better. I was asleep for most of the morning." She explained while playing with the soup in front of her.

"_That's good. Do you think you'll be able to come to school tomorrow?"_ he asked worriedly.

"I'm not sure. As of right now, I don't think I could make it but I just took some medicine so I'm waiting for it to kick in. Why? Are you worried about me?" she asked in a sly tone, teasing him.

"_Well yeah, that and tomorrow is your birthday."_ He reminded her. She gasped in realization. She dropped the spoon causing the warm soup to splash on her face as she laughed at herself.

"That's right, tomorrow _is_ my birthday. I was supposed to go shopping with my dad today." She replied, wiping the soup from her face. She heard Ash laughing on the other end. She smiled in response and began playing with the soup again.

"_How could you forget your own birthday?"_ he asked with a laugh. May frowned and stopped playing with the soup, feeling a tad bit offended.

"It slipped my mind due to my illness. Cut me some slack will you?" she retorted in a defensive voice. She frowned deepened at the sound of his laughter.

"_Alright, alright. I'll back off."_ He said. Her smile returned as she slid off the bed and picked up the tray, holding the phone up with her shoulder hunched. With great difficulty, she balanced the tray in one hand and twisted the doorknob with other, opening the door.

"So you were worried about me? Awh, Ash I'm flattered." May smiled despite the irritating tickling she felt in the back of her throat. She coughed multiple times before he replied.

"_What was that you told me about flattering you? That it will get me nowhere?" _he retorted. May laughed as she entered the kitchen and sat the tray on the counter.

"I'm not thinking straight right now, so don't believe everything I say." She muttered while clutching her head.

"_Fine, fine. I guess I should let you rest now. I just called to see if you were alright."_ He said. May smiled and leaned her back against the counter.

"I appreciate that. Hopefully I'll be at school tomorrow so I'll see you then. Bye Ash." She said.

"_Later May."_ He said before May pulled the phone from her ear and pressed the end button. Sitting it down on the counter, she looked at the lonely looking soup then frowned at how her stomach was growling for food. She looked up from the tray to see her father walking toward her.

"Hey there. You feeling any better?" he knelt before her and placed a hand on her forehead. She nodded and smiled.

"Yes. But I'm hungry." She admitted, clutching her stomach. Norman looked at her strangely and then at the tray that still held the soup he prepared.

"I would think so since you didn't eat your soup." He said with an almost disappointed look. "After I slaved over the-"

"Microwave?" May crossed her arms and arched an eyebrow at him.

"Nothing gets passed you, huh?" he sighed in defeat. "What do you say we head over to that Ramen stand in the mall and get you something to eat, once you feel up to it of course." He offered. May beamed at the suggestion and hugged her father.

"I'd like that, dad. Then we can get my birthday present." She added as she walked away from the kitchen.

"Why does my wallet feel like it's burning?" he asked no one in particular as he dumped the soup in the sink and proceeded to wash said dish.

.-.

Turns out that May wasn't as sick as she thought she was. After taking her temperature, she was in the clear for an evening with her dad. They left around 4:25 and posted a note on the refrigerator for Caroline and Max once she was done with work and once Max came home from soccer practice.

They hopped in the car and drove over to the mall in Viridian City, which was about fifteen minutes away from Pallet by car. May smiled at the sights as they drove on. The sky had cleared up, revealing the sun as it shone brightly. She did feel better now that the sun had came out.

"So, any ideas of what you might want?" Norman asked. May gave her father a strange look before placing a finger to her chin.

"Not really. Truthfully I forgot all about my birthday." She shrugged and went back to staring out the window.

"I don't see how you could. The sixteenth birthday is a very important year in your life…for some strange reason." He shrugged as they drove passed the 'Welcome to Viridian City' sign.

"I don't know why it's so important either, but it is." She replied.

"No party, no movie, no get together, no nothing. Isn't that what you said?" he said, reminding her. She nodded with a look of discomfort. "Why is that May?" he asked with masked concern.

"I just…I don't know." She didn't like lying to her father, but she never told him or her mom about the many bad experiences she had with birthday parties. So last year she told them that the movie was it. No more anything. Just a cake and presents with the family. But sixteen was big. She had to do something right?

"Did something happen last year?" he asked as the mall came into view. Her head started to hurt again at the sound of his question.

"I'd rather not talk about it." She muttered, her eyes down cast.

"Well, when you're ready to talk I'll be ready to listen. That's what dad's are for." He beamed and pulled into the closest parking spot. May nodded and smiled back.

"Thanks dad." He nodded and turned the car off. May opened the door and stepped out, welcoming the feeling of the warm sun of her skin. Before they left the house she changed out of her pajamas and into a blue screen tee that said 'I'm not short, I'm fun sized,' dark skinny jeans, a blue Chuck Taylor's with her hair in a messy ponytail.

"Why am I getting the feeling that you faked that illness?" he asked in a joking tone. May huffed and walked ahead him but sneezed a few times. "Nevermind…" he gave a sideward glance and quickly caught up with his daughter who was recovering from her sneezing fit.

"What was that pill you gave me?" she asked as they made they're way over the crosswalk and to the doors of the mall.

"Just a regular day pill that helps with coughing, sneezing, running nose, etcetera, etcetera." He waved off. May nodded and quickly made her way to her favorite ramen stand in the food court. "Straight to the food I see." He commented, reaching into his wallet.

"Well I haven't had a decent meal all day, thanks to you daddy!" she smiled sweetly at him. He scowled and ordered her usual. While that was going on, May looked around the mall. It wasn't really crowded which was to be expected seeing as it was a Wednesday. She shrugged and turned back around to be met with a bag of steaming noodles.

"You want to sit down and eat?" he asked, handing her the bag. She arched and incredulous eyebrow and him and took out the carton along with he chopsticks.

"No way. We'll cover much more ground –cough- if I eat along the way. Plus I can't wait any longer." With that, she drove into the first bite and handed the plastic bag back to her father. He just shook his head at her appetite and smiled.

'_That's my girl.'_ Norman and May were now walking away from the food court and towards the many stores. The mall was huge, to say the least. It included two floors all in the shape of a triangle with large department stores in each corner. In between were smaller stores that met the everyday needs of the people. The food court was in the center of the first floor.

Riding up the escalator, May spotted one of her favorite stores. Slurping up her last bit of noodles, she tossed it in the nearby trashcan and walked into the store with her father close behind. They were having a sale, which made Norman happy but May could careless.

"Alright Kiddo, I'll buy you two outfits of your choice including two tops and two bottoms as well as a pair of shoes. Now have it!" she cutely saluted to him and quickly disappeared in the many racks of clothes. Norman sighed and took a seat in one of the chairs. He pulled at his wallet and silently said his goodbyes.

'_Norman, what have you gotten yourself into…'_

**Kris: I'm sorry it's shorter than the recent ones but I told you it would be out before August 31! Didn't I? I can **_**so**_** deliver.**

**Mikey: What happened to every Friday?**

**Kris: For the last time…GET OUT!**

**Mikey: What do you mean 'for the last time?'**

**AJ: She's been telling you to get out for the past two chapters.**

**Mikey: Oh…oops…okay I'll leave. I know when I'm not wanted! But you will regret this!**

**Kris: Whatever…okay I won't dawdle any longer. Next chapter will be May's birthday. This should be over by chapter 23 or so.**

**All: Thanks for reading! 4 Sure!**

**R&R**


	21. Chapter 21

**Kris: Hi! Hi! Everyone…I'm kind of depressed. :(**

**AJ: It's a small world after all…**

**Kris: You're not going to ask why?**

**Mikey: It's small world after all…**

**Kris: So you're just going to keep singing then?**

**Ash: It's a small world after all…**

**Kris: Seriously guys?**

**May: It's a small, small, world!**

**Kris: …Really?**

**All: Everybody sing!!!**

**Kris: -sigh- I don't own pokémon so start the party. **

**All: Start the party!**

**AJ: Hey, why are you depressed???**

What if

Chapter 21

_Chirp…chirpy…chirp CHIRP!!!!!_

"Meh…shut up…" the brunette mumbled tiredly. Groggily, she lifted her pillow off her bed and pulled it atop her head. It wasn't until five seconds later that she shot from under the covers with an astonished look on her face. She clumsily got out of bed and rushed to the calendar, skimming her fingers across the dates. Once her finger landed on a square circled in red-

"It's my birthday!" May squealed in excitement. As soon as she turned around, her door swung open revealing the faces of her parents and her yawning younger brother. She beamed as they began singing the annual birthday song. There was a tray in her mother's arms that held all her favorite breakfast foods.

"Happy Birthday May!" Her mother said with a warm smile. She sat the tray down on her bed and stepped back so Max could give his contribution.

"Happy…yeah…you were born." And with that he left the room, most likely heading back to his own bedroom. May frowned at him but quickly shook the feeling away. Her father nodded approvingly and they both left the room, closing the door behind them.

May sighed happily and plopped down on her bed with a content grin on her face. She let the delicious smell of the food next to her churn the wheels in her empty stomach. But she couldn't ignore something in the back of her mind telling her to look out the window. Shrugging it off, she turned to her breakfast and made short work of the eggs, bacon, toast, and orange juice before putting on her school uniform.

Once that was done, she turned to her mirror and began combing through her hair before putting on a burgundy colored headband. Feeling complete, she picked up her books and left the room. She waved goodbye to her family before grabbing her tote bag by the door and leaving. She carefully walked down the porch and made her way to the main sidewalk.

Ahead of her she could see the familiar boy waiting in front of his driveway, standing nonchalantly. As if he felt her presence, he turned around to face her with a small smile adorning his features. She looked up at him warily, silently dreading what was coming next.

"Uh…hi Gary." She whispered lightly. She was searching for at least an inkling of the happiness she had just ten minutes prior to their morning meeting. She knew why she felt so awkward around him. Any other day they would've said they're greetings and began their usual walk to school. But today wasn't just any other morning.

She studied his face, looking for that dreadful mischief. But surprisingly, she didn't find anything. He was just semi-normal Gary. Her heartbeat decreased slightly as she waited for his reaction, his next movement, what he had planned.

"May…I…happy birthday." He smiled. It was genuine, she could tell. She nodded in acceptance and turned to leave but he stopped her.

"Hold on, I got you a present." He gave her a toothy grin to which she gulped inaudibly. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, white, rectangular box. Her eyes widened at the sight, already having a general idea of what it was. He handed it to her with hopeful eyes. She took it in her hands and lifted the top of the box and gasped. Inside was a gold locket engraved with the letters '_May_.'

"Gary this is-" she started.

"Open it." He edged. She worked her fingers across the sleek heart and pressed the button on the side. Inside was a picture of her and Gary when they were around ten years old. She could feel a stinging in the corner of her eyes at the sight and gave him a sincere look.

"Loser! You're about to make me cry." She playfully shoved him while trying to conceal her tears. He smiled down on her and reached down to clasp the necklace around her neck. Once it was secured she held it in her hands and smiled brightly.

"I know it's not going to make up for the past birthdays but I'm making a better effort, starting now." He gave her a determined look, which faltered immediately after she wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug.

"I'm not going to say the cliché line, 'Oh! It's the best present I've ever gotten!' But it is the best present I've ever gotten from you. Thank you." With that, she wiped the lingering tears and took a step back.

"You're welcome. Now that's go to school." He offered his right elbow for her to take, which she gladly accepted.

"You know, it's about time you turned sixteen." And with that, she unhooked her elbow in his and stomped ahead of him with an irritated scowl on her face.

'_It was bound to happen sometime…'_ is what she murmured to herself. She could hear his hurried footsteps quickly approaching. She slowed down her march, waiting for him to catch up.

"Come on May, you know I was only kidding." He gave a laugh to which she turned around with a playful frown on her face. He smirked at her with that evident glint of mischief in his eyes. May sighed and uncrossed her arms, turning away from him.

"Are you serious May?" he asked in an incredulous voice. He gave a defeated sigh before stuffing his hands in his pockets and continuing the walk without her. He only turned back around when he heard light giggles behind him. May was laughing inside of her hands.

"Come on Gary, you know I was only kidding." She mocked him with a smirk of her own.

.-.

May entered the combination in her locker and propped open her temporary use of storage. She dropped her Biology book on the top shelf before bending down to get a binder. Feeling satisfied she closed the locker shut only to come face to face with a certain black haired boy.

"Oh! Ash! Don't sneak up on me like that!" she scolded him. He merely laughed and gave her a grin before admiring the many designs on her locker.

"Wow, Kelly and Brianna did a good job of decorating." He complimented. May nodded in agreement, feeling a tad bit awkward just standing in the hallway staring at the only bright pink locker in sight.

"They sure did…" she looked off to the side and pursed her lips slightly. She turned only when Ash cleared his throat slightly.

"I did some thinking and I decided that I'm going to make sure you have a good birthday." He said, beckoning her to follow him down the hallway. May agreed and strode beside him with a slightly confused, yet amused expression on her face.

"Oh really? How do you plan to do that?" she asked, her interest caught.

"You'll see." He left with a hanging answer that annoyed her even more. "Here's your present. Well…some of it anyway." He answered, handing her a small decorative bag that had balloons on the front. May accepted it and tore the tissue paper to get the bottom of the bag.

"A glow stick?" she asked, pulling the stick out of the bag and giving both him and it a strange look.

"I said it was only part of it, you'll get the other parts later." With that, he strode into their first hour with his hands stuffed in his pocket. May stood there with an unlit glow stick in one hand and an empty birthday bag in the other.

"Wait, there are other parts? Why is he so darn confusing?" May huffed before following him into the classroom. She quickly found her seat, which was a few rows away from him. Since it was fairly early, there weren't a lot of students in the class, which made May a little bit relieved. It was all she needed for a certain marooned haired moron to come in and ruin her birthday.

"Well if it isn't the birthday girl." Said moron called out to her. May gave him a glare while he situated himself in the seat that was conveniently next to hers.

"Is it just me or do we sit next to each in every class we have?" she asked, with her head resting in her palm. He gave the question a thought before shrugging and reaching into his bag for something.

"Who knows Maple? But I did you get you something." He gave her a devilish grin before handing her a red envelope. May eyed it warily before taking it into her hands. She cautiously opened it and found it to be an invitation.

"This is an invitation to the party you're having tomorrow night." She said.

"Congrats, you can read." He muttered. May glared coldly at him before huffing and turning away from him. "Come on Maple, don't be like that. I just thought I'd invite you and the mister for a civilized evening of tea and finger sandwiches." He admitted with an almost innocent look. May scoffed at his attempt.

"More like spiked punch and chips." She rolled her eyes before dropping the invite into her bag.

"So are you and Gar-bear going to grace everybody with your 'oh-so-wonderful' presence tomorrow night?" he asked with a slightly hopeful glint in his eyes.

"I don't know Tyson, I'll have to see. But for now, leave me alone." She gave him a cocked eyebrow.

"Someone's snippy, I bet it's that old age getting to you, huh?" May quickly snapped her head in his direction and did what seemed appropriate at the given moment.

"Ow!"

.-.

Lunch couldn't come any sooner for the brunette as she strode down the stairs with Ash at her heels. She grinned at the short length of the lines and quickly made her way to the shortest one. The cafeteria was noisy as laughter and conversation bounced off the walls.

Ash was right behind her wearing a grin that was slightly unusual for him. May smiled at the fact and turned her attention back to the line that was moving at a steady pace. As they inched forward and she grabbed her tray, May was lost in her thoughts. She strolled up to the counter, grabbing a plate of pizza sticks with a salad and a cup of pineapples and mandarins on the side.

'_I wonder what else Ash got me…it's frustrating not knowing!'_ she grumbled in her hand while paying for her meal. Once she was out of the line, she quickly scanned the cafeteria for an empty table to sit at. Quickly spotting one, her and Ash sat down and began eating.

"So, are you racking your brain trying to figure out what else I got you?" he asked, taking a bite of his cheeseburger. May nodded innocently.

"Well yeah. I mean come on, it is kind of-"

"Frustrating? That's the point." He laughed. "But I suppose I could give you the other part now." He shrugged, reaching over his side for something. May leaned over to see what it was. In his hands was a CD case that was black and red on the cover. May took it in her hands and smiled slightly.

"Is this…Lance's new CD?" she asked, giving him a strange look. He nodded, taking a sip of his chocolate milk.

"You said you liked classic rock, so I got you his newest one. There are some pretty good tracks on there." He explained. May nodded, looking at the back and skimming through all the song titles before dropping it into her tote bag and returning to her lunch.

"Okay, so far you've gotten me a glow stick, and a rock CD…am I suppose to guess what all this means?" she asked.

"Well you can it you want but I'm not going to tell you. Just meet me after school and you'll get the last part." He said with a nod. May gave him a skeptical look before beginning to eat her lunch.

"So what did I miss yesterday?" she asked, playing with the fork in her salad.

"Uhm…in computer, we just retyped an essay. English class went alright, except for when we got an extra homework assignment because everyone was talking. Then in French we have a project that's due next Friday." He explained. May slumped down in her chair with a pout.

"This is why I hate missing school. There's so much crap to catch up on." Ash laughed at her face before finishing off his curly fries.

"Don't worry about it. I'll help you, plus you have to be my partner in French since there was an odd number." May nodded, opening up her cup of fruit.

"Sounds like a-a-achoo!" she sneezed loudly. Ash stifled a laugh before she could glare at him.

"Yeah, how's that sickness doing?" he asked. May shook her head.

"It's alright, just a few coughs and sneezes here and there." She waved her hands as a gesture. He nodded and stood up with his empty tray. May watched him as he left, her head resting in her palm as she brought her fork full of mandarins up to her mouth.

"Don't choke!" someone behind her shook her roughly by her shoulders, startling her. The pineapple she was eating shot right down her throat. Turning around she was immediately met by the face of her best friend.

"Kelly! Don't do that!" she scolded her while trying to still her racing heart. Kelly merely laughed at her reaction and took a seat to the right of May.

"Calm down alright? Anyway, I saw you staring at Ash. Do…you know like him or something?" Kelly asked with an arched eyebrow. May shot her and incredulous look, almost choking on her pineapple again.

"What? No! I don't, not like that anyway. And if I did, which I don't, I'd never do anything about it." May said, her resolve firm. Kelly gave her a strange look.

"You wouldn't? How come? Don't tell me you're turning into Dawn now, not telling a certain purple-haired guy that she's crazy about him." May laughed at the comparison.

"Not even close. Besides, what about Gary? You know how long he's been waiting for this and even if I don't like Gary the in the same way that he says he likes me, going after Ash would be like a slap in the face to him. I mean we've known each other practically our whole lives. While me and Ash have been hanging out for a week or so. That's totally wrong and you know it." She explained. Kelly nodded playing with her short hair.

"Yes, yes, yes. I understand completely. Not even Gary deserves and unfaithful girlfriend. But what ever happened to listening to your heart, you know? Like following your gut feeling and going for the goal!" with that, she shot out of her seat and pumped her fist high in the air.

"Kells, we're talking about relationships here, not a game of chance." May pulled on her arm in order to get her to sit down.

"But love _is _a game of chance! Don't you see? If you make the wrong choice, it's practically over." Kelly said, sitting back down in her seat with a nostalgic frown on her face. May gave her a sympathetic look.

"Happiness is an important part but it depends on whose happiness you're talking about." She finished.

"Whose happiness were you thinking about this past summer?" May gave her an expectant look to go with Kelly's wide-eyed one.

"I…I…" she stuttered.

"Hey Kelly, I didn't see you earlier." Their conversation was interrupted when Ash came back, trayless.

"Oh h-hey Ash. Uh, sorry but I have to get back to class now, so I'll…talk to you guys later. See ya…" May watched as Kelly slowly made her way up the stairs. Ash couldn't help but notice her saddened march away from their table.

"…What happened while I was gone?" He asked cautiously.

"What _did _happen, Ash?"

**Kris: Depression hurts!**

**AJ: Why are you depressed???**

**Kris: Oh, so **_**now**_** you want to ask? Well guess what? It's a small world!**

**Mikey: Yes, yes it is!**

**Kris: Alright. Next chapter May will get the final part of her present from Ash and all that jazz. Read my latest profile entry if you want to know why this chapter took so long.**

**Ash: What this is like our singing story.**

**May: What?**

**All: Sorry for the severe lateness! 4 Sure!**

**R&R**


	22. Chapter 22

**Kris: Hi! Hi! Everyone! I'm keeping it!**

**All: Yay!**

**Gary: Boo!**

**May: Get out!**

**Gary: …Really?**

**All: Yes!**

**Gary: No can do, sorry. Since I'm apart of the story, it's mandatory that I be in the author notes.**

**All: …Really?**

**Kris: He's telling the truth.**

**Ash: Who made up that rule?**

**Plankton: I did! I win! I win!**

**Kris: I thought I told you to get out!**

**Plankton: Curse you Kris!**

**Gary: Heh, KrystalClear101 does not own Pokémon.**

**All: Let's get this party started!**

What if

Chapter 22

"Morally, I'm pretty sound. But mentally? I'm probably off a few notches. What can I say? I had a rough childhood." Everyone's attention was glued to the front of the room where Paul was reading his reflection of himself aloud.

"Er…very good Paul, you can take your seat now." Ms. Bacon gave a nervous laugh before walking to the front of the class, gaining their attention. Just as she was about to open her mouth to speak, the bell rang releasing them out into the hallway.

"Make sure you read Chapter 5 for next class period!" she shouted before they filed out, heading towards the door.

"Hey I'm going to head over to my locker. Did you still want to meet after school?" May asked Ash while they were leaving.

"Yeah, I mean if you want the final part of your present. But we could always wait-"

"No! I want it!" she interrupted him with a panicked expression. Ash merely laughed and waved as he made his way towards his own locker. May sighed and twisted in her combination before propping the lock up and getting the books she needed to do her homework for the night.

She pursed her lips, looking for her biology book but came up short. Her heartbeat quickened. Had she left it in her classroom? No, she couldn't have. She remembered breaking her back carrying it to her locker. Had someone broken in?

"Shoot! Where is it?" she asked herself, lifting book after binder still not finding it. That's when she remembered.

"That's right! I loaned it to…to…who did I loan it to?" she pondered.

"May! Hey, thanks for letting me borrow your biology book. You're a life saver." A high-pitched voice called from behind her. She looked back to see a certain blue-haired girl bounding towards her. May gave a sigh of relief.

"You're welcome. I had completed forgotten I gave it to you." She laughed sheepishly. Then came the awkward silence.

"…Say, are you still going out with Gary?" Dawn asked with peaked interest. May nodded slowly as she shut her locker and picked up her tote bag from the floor. She had dropped it while searching for her biology book.

"Uhm yeah, why?" she asked with a strange expression on her face as they began walking downstairs together.

"I don't know. I guess I think you're lucky to be dating someone like him." She said with a bright smile on her face.

"How so?" May asked her with a cocked eyebrow.

"Why wouldn't any girl consider you to be lucky? I mean he's so cute!" she squealed like the school girl she was.

"Well yeah, I mean I guess that's a good reason. But looks aren't everything. Besides, I thought you liked Paul." May questioned her.

"A girl is allowed to like more than one guy, May." She shrugged and began walking in the opposite direction.

'_Is that true? Get ahead of yourself May! When's the last time you listened to Dawn, of all people.'_ She quickly shook off what the blunette had said to her and made her way out of the doors of the school and down the steps. She scanned the crowd of students, searching for that bush of black hair.

"Now where is that guy?" she quietly asked herself. That's when her eyes caught him standing nonchalantly against the wall near the exit. Her pace quickened as her mind grew eager for the last part of her present, which remained a mystery to her.

"What took you so long?" Ash asked her as he stood up from his leaning position with an impatient expression on his face.

"I thought I had lost my biology book but I had actually loaned it someone. But that was then, this is now. Where's the final part of my present?" she asked, jumping up and down excitedly. He grinned at her enthusiasm and reached into his pocket.

May was giddy with excitement while watching him pull out a small white envelope. He extended it to her with a satisfied smile on his face, as if he knew she was going to absolutely love whatever was inside. He had a pretty good hunch that she would so that helped with his confident look as well.

"I present to you, the final part. Happy birthday May." She took the white envelope in her hands and opened the flap. Her heart was beating quicker with each second that passed as she was lifting it and about to peer inside.

Was it money? A gift card? A letter? A prank saying 'IOU?' What could it possibly be? She couldn't wait any longer as she resisted the urge to literally rip the flap off and tear inside the envelope. Once she finally peered inside, her eyes widened and her mind began to connect the dots.

A glow stick and a CD could only be clues to…

'_Concert tickets! I cannot believe he got me concert tickets!' _she screamed inside of her head. Her soft and elated gaze met his confident smirk.

"Ash?" she started.

"Hmm?" he called in response.

"Is it all right if I hug you?" she asked, her gaze downward. She looked up to see him opening his arms with a broad smile.

"I guess." He gave a fake a sigh to which May rolled her eyes and wrapped her arms around his torso.

"Thank you so much! But how could you afford these?" she asked as they released one another from the embrace.

"An old of friend of my mom's works at the box office and always has a few extra tickets to spare." He shrugged.

"But this is Lance we're talking about. They _are_ no few extra tickets." She laughed.

"What can I say? I have connections." He brought his hands up behind his head and smiled as they walked on. May beamed as she looked through the tickets once more. She held them up in her hands and admired them. Her fingers slid over them but she came across not one, not two but three tickets.

"Hey, I think you gave me one too many, Ash." She said giving him a strange look.

"No I didn't. There's mine, yours and-" he responded with a straight look. That's when her mind clicked and she stared at him with compassionate eyes.

"You mean you…" her voice trailed off.

"I'm not that type of guy May. It wouldn't be right." He said, letting his arms fall to his sides.

"But you'll feel like a total third wheel won't you?" she tried to reason with him. He merely held up a hand to halt her attempt.

"It's not the first time it's happened and it probably won't be the last. Don't worry just accept it, okay?" he ruffled her hair slightly. May gave him a warm smile before crashing into him with another hug, which he wasn't expecting.

"Just the fact that you considered him makes this present all the more great. Thank you." She whispered. Ash patted her on the back with a thoughtful expression before she pulled back and hastily wiped whatever tears had formed in the corner of her eyes.

"It's no problem." May nodded. They continued their walk in silence until it was time for them to go their separate ways. May waved as he nodded in acknowledgment and started down the opposite street with his hands stuffed lazily in his pockets. May gave a sigh and blew up her bangs; clutching the locket Gary had given her while holding the envelope that held her most recent present.

'_There aren't many guys out there like Ash and Gary, that's for sure.'_ She smiled to herself as she came upon her quiet neighborhood. May looked up at the cloudless blue sky and smiled as she passed each house. The wind lightly swept through her hair as she continued on, the grip on her locket tightening as she passed the Oak residence.

She grinned, walking up the steps to her home with doors with the house keys in tow. She unlocked the door and pushed it opened, immediately met by silence. It was a natural feeling, after all. Everyone who lived in her house was gone, either at school or work. May dropped her tote bag on the floor by the door and tossed her keys on the counter.

Grabbing her usual cup of yogurt from the refrigerator, May ripped the cap off and walked into her room, closing the door behind her. She plopped down on her bed and began eating her snack, savoring each spoonful until there was nothing left but tiny scraps left over from the spoon. When she could salvage no more, she stood up to throw the cup away and made her way back to the bed where she laid there and stared up at the ceiling, looking back on her day.

"I'd say I had a pretty good birthday." She sighed, closing her eyes and letting a sudden wave of drowsiness take over.

"Don't tell me you're going to sleep, dear May." A familiar voice called out to her. The evident sarcasm was what caused her to open her eyes and turn on her side towards her open window where sat the owner of said voice in all his glory.

"And why can't I take a nap? I mean it is _my_ birthday. I'm entitled to do anything I want to." She playfully stuck her nose up at him with a smile on her face.

"By all means, take your nap birthday girl and I won't bother you again." He surrendered, one foot already making its way outside. May just laughed and sat up in her bed.

"Come off it and bring your butt inside, Oak." She ordered. He held up his hands in surrender and complied with her orders.

"As you wish, Maple." With that, he made his way over to her bed and made himself comfortable by leaning against the wall and bringing his arms over his head.

"Oh yeah, make yourself right at home." She rolled her eyes.

"Don't I always?" he responded with a smirk. There was a silence between them that unnerved May. She squirmed uncomfortably on the bed with a disturbed look on her face. That's when she turned to the boy who was lounging without a care in the world.

"Hey Gary?" she started, running her fingers through her hair.

"Yeah?" he replied.

"Did you hear about the party at Tyson's tomorrow?" she asked.

"Sure did. Do you want to go?" he asked, sitting up from the wall.

"Well yeah, I mean he gave me an invitation asking if we would grace everyone with our 'oh-so-wonderful' presence. Do you want to?" He gave the question a shrug before answering.

"Sure, I don't have anything better to do." She smiled. That's when she got up and walked towards the open window. He gave her back a strange look before she turned around to face him with a blank expression.

"You want to take a walk?" she offered. He agreed and followed her outside.

.-.

Surprisingly, the neighborhood was quiet. There were no children laughing and playing in the street. No middle-aged people sitting on their porches drinking tea and what not. It was silent for the most part. The only thing that could be heard was two sets of footsteps hitting the pavement.

May walked alongside Gary with her hands behind her back and her gaze forward. The latter folded his arms behind his head, whistling a random tone. The blue-eyed girl gave the boy a sideward glance before quickening her pace in order to stand in front of him. He broke his stride and stopped before her.

"…What?" he questioned, dropping his arms to his sides. May just gave him a blank stare before she brought her hands up to his face. He could feel his face heating up at her soft touch as she lazily ran her fingers through his dark locks.

'_Do you love me like you say? Do I like you enough to keep going on like this? What goes on in your head to make you think that we're meant to be? What's keeping me from liking you as more than just a friend?'_ her mind trailed off as her mouth opened slightly.

"…are we in this together or is this a one-sided relationship…?" she whispered. Gary's eyes widened at her comment, causing him to step back. At his action, May jumped out of her trance and retracted her hand, giving it an odd stare.

"What?" he asked, giving her a hard stare. May stepped back a few feet, trying to gather her thoughts.

'_Did I…did I say that last part out loud?'_ she looked up to see his almost hurt expression. She gulped inaudibly and tried to reach out to him. Much to her relief he didn't move but merely stood stock-still in the middle of the sidewalk, the wild brushing passed him softly.

She rested the palm of her right hand on his chest for a few seconds before he put a hand over hers. She looked into his green eyes that showed a hint of despair. Frowning, she leaned into him and brought her arms up around his torso.

'_I'm so sorry.'_ She said to herself, ignoring that familiar stinging sensation forming in the corner of her eyes.

'_I'm trying May. I'm trying so hard.'_ Gary returned the embrace, one hand resting on the small of her back and the other wrapped around her shoulders. He let his head rest in her hair before he held her just a bit tighter.

**Kris: A weird way to end…I know. Send a PM if you're confused. Ha! You were totally not expecting this! I can tell! I super surprised you with this update and you can't deny it!**

**Gary: Blah! Blah! Blah!**

**Kris: OMG! Get out!  
**

**Gary: No.**

**Kris: Er…fine!**

**May: Jerk…**

**Ash: Heh…Gar Bear…**

**Kris: IMPORTANT INFO! Okay readers, I have a question that I'm going to need you to answer in your review and if I get enough answers, I'll do, but if not…I might not even bother…**

**All: Say it already!**

**Kris: Fine! Should I do an epilogue?**

**AJ: This will be in the polls as well. So vote and send a review if you really want one!**

**Kris: Until the end, keeping reading and waiting!**

**All: Thanks for reading! 4 Sure!**

**R&R**


	23. Chapter 23

**Kris: Hi! Hi! Everyone! The final chapter!**

**All: Ohhh! Ahhh!**

**Kris: Yes, stare in awe you simpletons!**

**All: Ohhh! Ahhh! Wait…hey!**

**Kris: Haha! I'm kidding, but yes this is the chapter you've been waiting for!**

**AJ: Good times!**

**Mikey: Celebrate good times come on!**

**May: Awh! I'm gonna miss this!**

**Ash: Ditto…**

**Gary: Is a pokémon that can change shape and turn into anything it wants to. Also known as Doppelganger.**

**Kris: Nerd…**

**Disclaimer: I guess I'll do it, since it **_**is**_** the final chapter…-ahem- KrystaClear101 is NOT the owner of pokémon.**

**Kris: Enjoy!**

**All: Start the party! **

What If

Chapter 23

"Pancakes!"

"Not now! Ugh, go away!"

"But I want pancakes!"

"I'm supposed to be gone. I have to go to school remember?"

"I refuse to let you leave without getting me pancakes!"

"Fine! If I make you pancakes, can I leave?"

"Yes…yes you can."

"Alright then, sit down while I get the batter started." The girl grumbled as she made her way to the kitchen, momentarily pausing on getting ready. Max snickered silently as he sat down by the kitchen counter to watch her work.

"Can you make one in the shape of-"

"You're pushing it!" she sneered, grabbing the instant mix from the top counter and sitting it by the bowl. She reached down and turned the knob of the stove on. May grumbled, trying to remember exactly how she had gotten in this situation.

'_Let's see…birthday celebration last night. Went to sleep…woke up…parents and Max are sick in bed.'_ She said inside of her mind.

"I still don't see how that happened." She shook her head. May poured a cup of water into the dry ingredients and began stirring it. She checked on the heat of the pan before pouring a generous amount of canola oil in the center. She hummed to herself, leaning on the counter. She stared at her younger brother's look of sheer starvation.

As she waited, May straightened out her uniform skirt, getting whatever wrinkles out she could. She stared down at herself with a look of humor. One of her socks was rolled all the way up while the other was staggering behind. Her shirt was half tucked in and her hair hadn't even been combed yet.

"You could've told me I looked a mess, you know." She shot a glare at her sibling. He merely chuckled, resting his head in his palm.

"I don't really see a difference from how you normally look." With that, she tossed the empty measuring cup at his head. He winced as the cup bounced off his head and rolled on the floor.

"Heh, serves you right." She nodded approvingly before returning to the steaming pan. Max grumbled, watching his sister pour the batter into the pan. It began sizzling tremendously. She managed to get three fairly sized circles inside before running out of room.

"Have you taken any medicine yet?" she asked as the cakes continued to fry. Max shrugged, tracing his finger along the counter. May gave a huff before flipping the pancakes over. She twirled the spatula in her hand while whistling a random tune. Soon the other side of the pancakes was a nice brown. She flipped them over once more and then slid them onto a plate.

"Here, get your syrup or whatever while I finish getting ready." The blue-eyed girl said, sitting the plate down in front of him. He rubbed his hands together eagerly before shooting out of his seat and running towards the cabinets. May laughed at his antics before going back to her room.

Once there, she finished packing her backpack and tucked in her shirt while pulling up her lingering sock. She then went to combing her hair all the way through. May managed to get everything done before storming into the main room. She grabbed her jacket and tote bag before opening the door to leave.

"Tell mom and dad to go to the doctor, okay? Make sure that they get plenty of rest or you'll never hear the end of it…faker." She glared at him, knowing it was all an act so he could miss school like she did.

"I'm not faking –cough- it's all real!" he protested, pancakes dripping with syrup. May rolled her eyes with a slight scowl on her face before taking her leave.

The morning air was cooler than she had anticipated. Instinctively, she pulled her jacket around her tightly and made her way down the steps of her house and onto the sidewalk. Part of her was hoping that her brown-haired neighbor would be standing at the end of his driveway like he usual was but another part of her knew that was not likely.

"Not after what happened last night…" her voice trailed off as a cold wind whipped around her as she stuff her hands in her pockets. She reminisced the events of her birthday.

"…_are we in this together or is this a one-sided relationship…?" she whispered. Gary's eyes widened at her comment, causing him to step back. At his action, May jumped out of her trance and retracted her hand, giving it an odd stare._

"_What?" he asked, giving her a hard stare. May stepped back a few feet, trying to gather her thoughts._

'_Did I…did I say that last part out loud?' she looked up to see his almost hurt expression. She gulped inaudibly and tried to reach out to him. Much to her relief he didn't move but merely stood stock-still in the middle of the sidewalk, the wild wind brushing passed him softly._

_She rested the palm of her right hand on his chest for a few seconds before he put a hand over hers. She looked into his green eyes that showed a hint of despair. Frowning, she leaned into him and brought her arms up around his torso._

'_I'm so sorry.' She said to herself, ignoring that familiar stinging sensation forming in the corner of her eyes._

'_I'm trying May. I'm trying so hard.' Gary returned the embrace, one hand resting on the small of her back and the other wrapped around her shoulders. He let his head rest in her hair before he held her just a bit tighter._

May tightly clenched her eyes shut as her fist shook within her pocket. Things had been going well the last couple of days. So well that she was even considering that maybe they really _did_ have a shot at a relationship. But after last night, she was having doubts now more than ever.

"How could I be so inconsiderate? How could I say that out loud, let alone think it. He's given so much of himself and the last thing I wanted to do was hurt him. How could I…?" she cursed herself, focusing back on walking in solitude to school. She was glad that she had this time only to think about everything that was happening around her.

She could see her school in the distance as she walked on with a solemn look on her face.

"What's this feeling I have?" the brunette asked herself, tightly clutching her new locket in her hand.

.-.

The day couldn't have gone by any faster for May as she stood at her locker for the final time. Twisting in her combination she undid the lock and propped open the door. The blue-eyed girl checked the top shelf for any books before averting her gaze downward. There were no books that she needed to grab. She gave a small smile before reaching for her jacket then closing the locker shut.

May exhaled a short breath while slipping her arms through the sleeves of her jacket then securing her tote bag on her shoulder. Soon she was making her way down the hallway towards the doors to exit the school.

"I can't believe I haven't seen him all day." She said to herself regrettably. There was no way to describe how she was feeling at the moment.

"Hey May!" she whipped her head around at the sound of her name being called, silently hoping it was Gary. But when Ash's tan face came into view she couldn't help but feel slight disappointment.

"Oh, hi Ash." The girl replied in a monotone voice. They both walked out of the door together and down the steps from the school. May's gaze was downcast while Ash's was upward, looking at the cloudy blue sky.

"You seem kind of down. Wanna talk about it?" he asked, feeling concerned. May stared at him with dull blue eyes as she nodded silently.

The brown-haired girl gave a sigh as she ran a shaky hand through her hair. Ash walked along with her patiently, albeit waiting for her to start talking. They had reached the intersection on their trek home when she decided what she was going to say.

"Last night Gary and I took a walk and some things were said that shouldn't have been said. Feelings were hurt and…the whole nine yards. The bad thing about it is…I was the one who said everything. I was the one who hurt him. I haven't seen him since last night." She confessed.

"Well…what did you say?" he asked cautiously. She merely shook her head and rubbed her forehead back and forth until she was sure a red mark was left.

"The last thing I wanted to do was hurt him after all he'd been through trying to get me to finally say yes. And I wasn't even trying to, it just came out and now I regret even thinking it. It's just…" she sighed, trying to calm herself down.

"Hey, it'll be all right." He consoled her by rubbing her back slowly. May nodded, trying to believe that everything would be all right but her heart was being reluctant.

'_Can this one really be fixed?'_

"Thanks Ash. I think I'm just gonna head on home." She said with a smile. Ash nodded, retracting his hand.

"Are you going to Tyson's party?" he asked, with an arched eyebrow. May gave the question a thought before shaking her head.

"There's too much going on. I don't think a party is going to help any. Are you?" he shrugged turning his attention towards the empty street.

"I was gonna go if you were gonna go but…" he nervously scratched behind his head.

"Hey, don't let me stop you from going. If you wanna go, then you should go." She smiled. He nodded, heading in the opposite direction.

"I'll be seeing you May." He waved off. May returned the gesture before continuing down the lonely, quiet street. She blew up her bangs in frustration, clutching the strap of her tote bag tightly. Her beating heart was pounding against her rib cage as thoughts raced through her mind.

'_I…I need to talk to him. To make sure that he's all right. That we're all right…but…'_ at that, she stopped, her hands going to the locket. May bit her lip trying to hold back discontentment.

With her gaze fixed ahead, May began walking towards her neighborhood with a new subject on her mind. She soon came upon the Oak residence, a place she had been to many times. A place that she knew better than the back of her hand. After giving the door a firm but gentle knock, she waited. When she heard the lock being undone, she held her breath.

"Oh! Hi May!" Daisy, Gary's older sister greeted her. May's face fell at the sight of strawberry blonde haired woman. Still, she smiled despite her fallen elation.

"Hey Daisy, I didn't know you were home from college. How is everything?" the blue-eyed girl asked, making conversation.

"It's going all right. I just thought I'd come home for the weekend. What about you? You've gotten bigger since the last time I saw you." May laughed at the comment but she couldn't the feeling of awkwardness that had developed over time.

"I'm good. Just trying to get through this year. Uhm…is Gary home yet, I wanted to talk to him." May asked, hopefully. Daisy gave the younger girl a sympathetic look before answering.

"Sorry, but no. He hasn't gotten home yet. What did he do this time?" Daisy cocked an eyebrow with mischief in her smile.

'_It's more like what I did…'_

"It's nothing. I'll just catch up with him later I guess. I was nice seeing you Daisy." With that, she made her way off the porch as the college student shut the door. May gave a huff before walking towards her house. It wasn't until a door closed did she look up to see someone leaving her house. Her eyes widened at who it was.

"Gary…" she whispered. It made sense for him to be leaving her house right when she was leaving his. But she half expected him to be leaving her window, not her front door. Swallowing her anxiety and nervousness, May met the brunette boy halfway on the sidewalk. Soon, they were right in front of each other.

"What happened to us May?" he whispered, his gaze focused on the ground. May looked to the side, unsure of how to answer his question. She sighed, looking up at his discouraged expression.

"We changed, Gary. You grew up, I grew up. We're not ten year olds anymore." She started.

"I came into this relationship with the mindset that you would be the same guy who was closer to me than anyone. I thought that we could be the dynamic duo again but…" her voice trailed off while looking up at the sky. She closed her eyes at the sound of his sigh.

"We're both guilty of coming into this thing with high hopes then." He spoke, scratching his head lightly.

"And we rushed it hoping that things wouldn't be this way forever. Then we got impatient and began questioning what we really wanted. It didn't help that Ash unintentionally got in the way either." He paused.

"It just made things worse." She finished for him. Taking a step forward, she leaned her head into his chest.

"When we tried to work things out…" he said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"Nothing good came of it." She frowned. She felt his grip on her tightening.

"So what do we do now?" May asked, turning her head to the side. She looked down slightly, surprised at the _thump thump_ noise she kept hearing. Her mouth opened slightly at the realization.

'_His heart is racing.'_ That's when she stared down at her own chest, feeling the beat coming from her heart. _'Mines is too. What does this mean? Should we…should we…'_

"We should take a break. That way we'll still be friends and avoid the awkwardness, which is something I know you don't want between us." He concluded. Gary pulled away from the embrace to look at her expression. Her face read surprise.

"I never thought I'd heard you of all people say something like that." She laughed lightly, patting his chest softly. He smiled down on her taking her small hand in his larger one, squeezing it tightly.

"It does come as a surprise, doesn't it? But I think its better that we take a pause." She nodded with understanding.

"I agree. Things need to be worked out and after that we can decide whether to continue or to end it peacefully." His smiled widened.

"You make it sound like we're fighting in a war or something." They both shared a laugh that left them feeling up lifted. May looked down at her feet with a content grin adorning her features.

"So…when does this break start?" the brunette asked, looking up at him. His expression was strange, but not foreign to her. He smirked, bringing his hand up to hold her cheek.

"After this…" he whispered, leaning in the capture her lips with his own. To May, the romantic gesture came as a surprise. By as second passed, she found it to be pure bliss.

'_But most surprises are, aren't they?'_ she thought to herself as her mind reverted back to the kiss she shared with Ash.

'_That was definitely something I was not expecting but it just felt right. Kind of like this one. It's strange how I'm feeling this now when we're about to take a break. Do relationships really work like this?'_ her thoughts ended as did the lip lock. Her face was in a bright red blush, similar to his.

He smiled, brushing her cheek lightly with his thumb. She returned the expression with a small laugh. He looked surprised at the sound of her giggles but soon found himself chuckling as well. After awhile they were both engaged in sidesplitting laughter.

'_It's funny. I haven't been this happy in a long time and I don't even know why.'_ May said to herself while wiping the tears that had formed after a while. Once the laughter had died down, there was a calm silence between the two with the only sound being their short pants of breath.

"Uhm…what do you want to do now?" she asked from behind a smile. He shrugged, placing his hands behind his head casually. May sighed, clasping her hands behind her back. She began walking down the sidewalk nonchalantly.

"How about we drop off our stuff and just hang out?" she offered with a smile. He gave a pondering look before nodding in agreement. Both teens said their temporary goodbyes before retreating to their respective homes. They were content with their current decision.

Sure choices had been made, words had been said, and feelings were hurt. But all of those factors come into play once a relationship is born. No one walks into a strong bond such as that without expectations. No one leaves without a better understanding. The same can be said for Gary Oak and May Maple.

THE END

**Kris: It is complete! …If only for a couple days…**

**May: What?**

**Ash: I thought this was the last chapter.**

**Gary: Hullo? Epilogue? Come on guys, you've been doing this a lot longer than I have.**

**May: Oh shut up.**

**AJ: I can't believe it's over.**

**Mikey: Hey, this is your longest story isn't it?**

**Kris: Huh? It is my longest story. Go me! Twenty-three chapters and an Epilogue. P.S.- I am going to do one! Haha! Until then, keep your shorts on!**

**All: Thanks for reading! 4 Sure!**

**R&R**


	24. Epilogue

**What If? A Different Kind of Rivalry~ Epilogue**

**In Dialogue Format**

May: Well…going to my house to hang out didn't work out as planned did it?

Gary: You can say that again…

Ash: I didn't even know that was the plan to begin with…

May: But you guys can't say that it wasn't fun.

Gary: Yeah, it was fun…except for the part when-

Ash: Don't tell the whole story!

Gary: I wasn't going to, now keep your shorts on!

Ash: -grumbles-

May: Haha! Okay, okay. When Gary and I went to my house we had to take care of my parents since a certain someone, who shall remain nameless, (-cough- Max –cough-) forgot to tell them to go to the doctor.

Gary: I never knew taking care of grown people could be so annoying.

May: Things got a little hectic so we called Ash to come over to help us out.

Ash: I'm the best part of the story.

Gary: Someone's conceded…

May: Don't start guys! And quit interrupting the story!

Ash & Gary: Sorry…

May: As I was saying…

"_Perfect timing Ash! You wanna come over to hang out? It'll be tons of fun!"_ _she asked with a singsong voice. There was a laugh on the other end._

"_Heh, sure. I take it things are cool between you and Gary then?"_ _he asked. May giggled audibly while searching through the cabinets for the cough medicine._

"_Yeah, in fact he's over here right now. We're about to watch a movie and thought it would be nice if you joined us." She lied, hoping he would believe her. There was silence on the line that gave May a nervous feeling in her stomach._

"_Alright, I'm on my way over." Ash replied with humor in his voice. May beamed at his agreement._

"_Great! See you in a few!" with that, she hung up the phone. That's when her eyes fell on the dreaded green cough syrup sitting on the top shelf of the bathroom cabinet. Giving a huff, she got up on her tiptoes and stretched her arm as far as it could go._

"_Hey, is Ash on board?" Gary asked, poking his head through the door. To say that he looked tired was an understatement. Bags were slowly developing under his once lively green eyes as he stared at the girl._

"_Yeah, he said he'd be over soon. Hey, could you get this for me? I can't reach." She asked sweetly. The boy rolled his eyes, strolling into the bathroom. Without much effort, he grabbed the bottle and handed it to her._

"_Thanks. Why don't you take a break?" she offered. He sighed with relief._

"_Finally! I can't take it anymore. You're parents are driving me nuts, especially your dad." He laughed, running a hand over his face._

"_Go sit down and wait for Ash and I'll take care of the family." May ruffled his hair playfully while shoving him out of the bathroom._

Gary: Things didn't start getting bad until Ash got there. Haha!

Ash: Hey!

May: Shush!

"_Hey dude, come on in. Join the party." Gary welcomed Ash into the Maple home. The raven-haired boy walked in and took his jacket off, throwing it on the back of the couch. He looked around, confused. That's when he saw May running across the hall._

"_May?" he asked. She zipped around the corner, wearing an apron with a tray of steaming bowls on it. At the sight of him, she smiled._

"_Hey, you're here! Uhm, have a seat and I'll be right in there." She explained before shooting back down the hall. Ash turned and gave Gary a confused look only to be met by a smirk._

"_Why do I get the feeling that we're not watching a movie?" he asked, scratching his head. Gary gave laugh, patting Ash on the back._

"_Well…maybe because May lied to you to get you come and help us with her sick family." Ash gapped then slumped his shoulders._

"_Figures…she sounded way too happy on the phone." He gave laugh._

"_She played you like a flute, man." Gary laughed loudly while making his way back into the main room where he took a seat in Norman's armchair. The other boy sighed and made his way over to the couch. He took a cautious seat there and tried to make himself comfortable._

"_So…" Ash started nervously. The brunette boy was lounging in the chair with his legs propped up on the table and his arms folded casually behind his head. _

"_Yeah…" there was an awkward silence between the two as they waited for May to return. In the back, they could hear faint sounds of coughing going on that they assumed to be the rest of the family. Soon, footsteps were sounding from the hallway and May was slowly marching into the main part of the house with the tray she was previously carrying dragging behind her._

"_Why is this so hard?!" she panted as she plopped down, breathlessly on the couch next to Ash. She tiredly blew up her bangs before turning toward Ash._

"_Sorry I had to lie to you but I didn't think you'd agree, given the circumstances." She gave a laugh. Gary added in his own laughter before getting up from his resting position and heading toward the kitchen._

"_It's not the first time someone's lied to me." He chuckled in response. "So how is everyone doing?" he asked. May let her head fall back on the couch before answering._

"_They're all asleep…for now. I managed to get my parents to eat something that they could actually keep down and I had to totally cut Max off from the world since he lied. He's gonna wish he was actually sick now. But yeah, we're done for the night. I guess there really wasn't a reason to call to you over here then, but to hang out." She laughed. He nodded in agreement before reaching down towards the table, picking up a magazine._

Ash: I told you I was the best part of the story.

Gary: Tch. Yeah right…

May: I don't know about you being the best part of the story, but it did get better after you arrived…if only for a moment….

Ash: Awh!

_Gary soon returned with an armful of snacks. He dropped them all on the coffee table and began sorting them into different piles according to what they were. In one pile there was several cans of pop, in another there were miniature bags of chips, pudding cups, fruit snacks, and the like._

"_Dude! You totally raided my kitchen!" May lightly scolded him. He merely scoffed._

"_Oh c'mon, you know you were thinking the same thing. Besides you're going to end up eating most of this stuff anyway." He laughed, tossing her a can of pop. She caught it in her hands then stuck her tongue out at him. Ash laughed and caught the can that was tossed to him next._

"_Now's it's a party." Gary resolved, returning to his previous position._

"_It was never a party to begin with." May rolled her eyes, opening her can and taking a sip of it._

"_Speaking of parties, I wonder who all went to Tyson's…" Ash said, giving it some thought before reaching down for a bag of chips._

"_He's probably gonna be mad that we didn't show, haha!" the blue-eyed girl laughed._

"_That's so mean May." Ash added._

"_That's May for ya…" Gary finished, grinning at the glare he received from the girl. "There's a lot about her that you just don't know Ash. She might seem all nice and good on the outside but she's really- ow!" he grunted as the pudding cup connected with his forehead._

"_Don't talk about me while I'm in the room, jerk!" she scolded him again._

"_Would you rather he did it while you were gone?" the raven-haired boy added. May gave him an incredulous look._

"_This is what happens when you two get together. You gang up on me." She crossed her arms over her chest in a huff._

"_Just imagine how bad it would be if Max was here."_

May: You guys really are a couple of jerks when you get together.

Ash: Gary's a bad influence, what can I say?

Gary: …shut up!

May: Haha!

"_By the way Ash, how's that arm of yours?" May asked, sipping on her pop. Ash grinned, looking at the cast marked with signatures._

"_It's doing all right, I guess. It just itches a lot." He complained, scratching away at his injury. Gary shook his head while kicking his shoes off._

"_Ew! Put those back on!" May yelled, covering her nose._

"_Chill out, my feet don't smell half as bad as yours." He gave her a sweet smile only to be met by a pillow in the face._

"_Not nice." She waved a finger at him._

"_So, what's the status you guys?" Ash asked, interrupting their potential fight._

"_What? Status?" May asked giving Ash a confused look._

"_Your relationship." He corrected himself. Suddenly everything in the room became still and quiet as May halted her assault on her fellow brunette._

Gary: Way to kill a mood Ash.

Ash: I was curious…

"_We're taking a break to get our feelings and emotions together." May started, giving Gary a look. He nodded with a slight smile._

"_And what ever happens, happens. We'll still be friends no matter what. I'd rather have May as my friend if having her as my ex-girlfriend means I'm gonna lose her all together." Gary concluded._

"_You're just pulling out all of the goods line today, huh?" she nudged him in the shoulder._

"_What can I say? I have a way with words." The group of three laughed for a while before all eyes turned on Ash._

"_Now, about you." May began, giving him a sly look. Ash tried to back up away from her stare as much as he could._

"_What about me?" he asked cautiously._

"_Don't try to hide your feelings. You know you like her, I'm not saying I blame you though." Gary said, his gaze drifting to the side._

"_Another one? Two in a row." The girl grinned. He shrugged again. Ash rolled his eyes._

"_So…what if I do like May?" he asked, trying to rid himself of the nervous feeling rising within his chest._

"_Then you-" May started, only to be interrupted by Gary._

"_You have my permission to date her if things don't work out between us." Gary finished for her, gaining incredulous looks from both of them._

"_What? Okay, you just lost your speaking privileges. Since when do you get to approve?" she asked._

"_I can't let you go out with just anybody, there are tons of crazy dudes out in this world. Ash is…Ash is okay in my book." Ash smiled at Gary's declaration then turned his attention to May who was a little less enthusiastic about Gary's decision._

"_Well if that's the case then I get to approve all of your girlfriends." She said, her resolve firm. Gary's jaw dropped at her statement._

"_No way! You won't let me date anyone." He exclaimed._

"_That's because all the girls you want to date are air headed and shallow." She fought back. He gave her smirk._

"_Not true. I dated you didn't I?" he retorted. May uncrossed her arms and switched her gaze to the side with a defeated scowl on her face._

"_Touché…" she grumbled._

"_My point exactly." Gary said, triumphantly._

"_You guys are weird…"_ Ash added while shaking his head.

May: I hate it when you do that.

Gary: Awh! You know you love me.

Ash: I'll say it again…you guys are weird.

"_Okay then 'Mister I-Know-Everything-About-Nothing' what if things do work out between us?" May asked, expecting an answer._

"_Only time will tell my dear May." He winked at her and received another pillow in response._

"_Well, now that that's settled how about we watch a movie?" Ash suggested. Both May and Gary gave it some thought before agreeing._

May: The rest of the evening was pretty much uneventful after that.

Gary: Uneventful? You are so boring.

May: You are so mean!

Ash: Geez…

Gary: But yeah…nothing else really happened.

May: That's what uneventful means!

Gary: And?

May: Jerk…

Ash: Let's end this before you guys start fighting again.

Both: Fine…

_Later that night, Caroline woke up with a piercing headache. So she slowly pulled her blankets back and gently lifted herself up from the bed as not to awaken her husband. She slipped her house shoes on and made her way out of her bedroom and into the main part of the house. During her walk towards the kitchen, she heard the faint sound of the television._

_Rounding the corner she noticed that the TV in the main room was indeed on and it looked like a scene from '7 Pounds.' Curiously, she walked to the other side of the couch to see her daughter and two of her friends sprawled out on both the couch and the floor. She smiled at the sight of them and went to get a few blankets._

_When she came back, she laid a large gray blanket on May's sleeping form, which took up the whole couch. Another one went to Gary, who was snoring lightly while leaning on the couch. The last went to Ash who was lying on his back, snoring loudly. The mother of two giggled before heading into the kitchen to get a glass of water before returning to bed._

May: Funny…I don't remember that part…

Gary: Me neither.

Ash: I sure don't.

May: Mhmm…oh well!

Ash: Thanks for taking up the whole couch May!

Gary: Yeah, the floor felt just great.

May: It was my house!

Both: Touché…

May: All's well that ends well!

Gary: We hope you enjoyed it!

Ash: See ya!

**R&R**


End file.
